mttmnmmmmmmmmmmmKmmnmoMmin 


JXLjEjbJt\.J.x^  \jr 


OF  THE 


MILLION 


JOHN  ACKWORTH 


HlgMIBWaiiirwiii rinjmiiiwiiijMIMliBWtfUWllH 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


.:> 


KtJV.  CYRUS  H.  FRAMPTON . 


The  Making; 


of  the  Million 


TALES  of  the  TWENTIETH 
CENTURY  ^ 
FUND      ^      ^ 


By 

John    Ackworth 

Author  of  "  Clog  Shop  Chronicles,"  etc. 


New  York :    Eaton  &  Mains 
Cincinnati :  Curts  &  Jennings 


"?/l 


2)e£)icate5 

WITH   HONEST  AND   HEARTY   ADMIRATION 
TO 

R.    W.    PERKS,    ESQ.,    M.P. 

THE  ORIGINATOR  OF 

THAT  UNIQUE  AND  WONDERFUL 

MOVEMENT  THE 

WESLEYAN   TWENTIETH   CENTURY   FUND 

York,  1899 


CONTENTS 


I 

PAGE 

THE   GRAPES   OF   ESHCOL  ....         9 

II 

THE    COMMITTEE    MAN        .  .  .  .  •       33 

III 
A    MANCHESTER    MAN  .  .  .  .  *       57 

IV 

THE    BLANK    LINE    ....••       79 

V 

A    COSTLY    CONTRIBUTION  ....    103 

VI 

THE  alderman's  CONVERSION      .     .     .125 


THE  GRAPES  OF    ESHCOL 


THE  GRAPES  OF  ESHCOL 

THE  Rev.  Caesar  Snape  was  ashamed  of 
himself.  This  was  not  at  all  an  un- 
common state  of  mind  for  him  to  be  in,  for,  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  he  was  oftener  in  that  condition 
than  any  other,  especially  in  a  morning.  He 
was  a  Wesleyan  probationer,  and  lived  alone 
in  Mrs.  Pendlebury's  small  upstairs  front  room, 
overlooking  the  parish  church  in  the  High 
Street,  Muggridge. 

He  was  the  junior  minister  of  the  circuit, 
and  though  he  had  never  heard  of  Muggridge 
until  the  Conference  appointed  him  to  it,  he 
had  since  discovered  that  it  was  a  very  im- 
portant place  indeed ;  in  fact,  it  would  have 
been  impossible  for   the  Stationing  Committee 

9 


10  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

to  have  selected  a  circuit  that  would  not  have 
assumed  this  aspect  in  the  Rev.  Caesar's  eyes 
the  moment  he  found  himself  allocated  to  it. 
It  was  generally  regarded  as  a  country  circuit, 
but  the  new  minister  had  soon  discovered  that 
it  ought  to  be  reckoned  as  at  least  a  senti- 
suburban  one,  being  only  eleven  miles  as  the 
crow  flies  from  the  head  of  the  district. 

"  Fifty-nine  trains  pass  through  Muggridge 
every  day,"  he  used  to  say  impressively  to  his 
friends ;  and  he  was  surprised  and  a  little  hurt 
when  somebody  suggested  that  he  might  as 
well  make  it  sixty,  and  some  one  else  asked 
how  many  of  the  trains  stopped. 

Ministerially,  the  Rev.  Caesar  regarded  him- 
self as  something  of  an  impostor,  whom  the 
Muggridge  Wesleyans  had  not  yet  found  out. 
To  his  amazement  they  seemed  quite  resigned 
to  him,  and  some  of  them  even  affected  to  enjoy 
his  ministry. 

What  confiding,  even  credulous  people  the 
Wesleyans  were !  Taking  everybody  to  be  as 
high-minded  and  devoted  as  themselves,  they 
had  always  insisted  upon  regarding  him  as  a 
godly,   self-sacrificing,    and   able   young   fellow, 


THE   GRAPES   OF   ESHCOL  II 

and  had  insisted  on  his  entering  the  ministry ! 
Ah,  they  little  knew!  Every  Methodist  be- 
lieved that  no  man  was  fit  for  the  ministry 
who  wanted  to  be  in  it,  and  he  had  been 
literally  consumed  with  ambition  for  the  sacred 
office.  The  "  call "  only  came  to  those  who 
were  in  a  high  state  of  grace,  and  he  had  desired 
it  whilst  he  was  still  a  hardened  sinner.  (A 
surreptitious  smoker  of  cigarettes  and  a  reader 
of  mild  fiction.) 

A  true  minister  was  always  oppressed  with 
an  awful  sense  of  the  responsibilities  of  his 
office,  and  would  gladly  lay  it  down  if  he  dared, 
but  he  was  so  filled  with  unholy  pride  and 
ambition  that  he  could  not  think  life  worth 
living  apart  from  it.  An  essential  qualification 
for  the  ministerial  office  was  the  possession  oi 
courage  to  say  everything  he  felt  he  ought  to 
say,  and  he  was,  and  always  had  been  in  these 
respects,  a  miserable  coward.  Somebody  would 
find  him  out  some  day,  and  then  what  a  revela- 
tion there  would  be  ! 

And  now  this  "  Million  Scheme  "  had  come 
and  it  was  just  such  a  big,  grand  enterprise  as 
his  soul  delighted  in  ;  and  he  had  been  to  the 


12  THE   MAKING   OF  THE   MILLION 

preliminary  District  Committee  in  place  of  his 
super,  who  was  ill,  and  had  come  back  the  night 
before  full  of  enthusiasm,  and  eager  for  the 
next  day  to  arrive,  that  he  might  set  to  work 
and  rouse  the  sympathies  of  his  people. 

But  now  it  was  morning,  and  in  the  dim 
December  daylight  his  dreams  of  the  night 
before  looked  Utopian  and  ridiculous,  and  he 
felt  a  miserable,  cowardly  feeling  rising  within 
him,  which  tempted  him  to  wish  that  the  great 
effort  had  never  been  heard  of. 

The  Muggridge  circuit  was  not  like  any 
other  ;  his  people  were  very  good — wonderful 
people,  in  fact,  when  he  came  to  think  of  it — 
but  not  exactly  in  that  way.  Ah !  he  under- 
stood now  why  some  of  his  ministerial  brethren 
had  looked  surprised  when  he  had  spoken  so 
enthusiastically  of  his  flock  ;  they  knew  them 
better  than  he  did.  Two  guineas  per  member 
at  least !     The  thing  was  preposterous  ! 

The  super  was  an  invalid,  and  the  initiation 
of  this  great  scheme  in  the  circuit  would  rest 
almost  entirely  with  himself  He  could  not 
give  much  himself,  and  he  had  never  in  his 
life  done  any  begging  of  this  kind  before  ;  the 


THE   GRAPES   OF   ESHCOL  13 

whole  thing  would  be  a  fiasco,  and  the  Mug- 
gridge  circuit,  his  first  circuit,  would  be  dis- 
graced in  the  eyes  of  the  whole  Connexion. 

And  then  he  pulled  himself  up.  Yes,  it  was 
just  like  him  !  A  minister's  work  was  to  make 
light  of  difficulties  and  show  his  people  how 
they  might  overcome  them,  and  here  was  he 
shrinking  like  a  timid  schoolgirl  at  the  very 
first  serious  task  he  had  ever  been  called  upon 
to  face.  "  Caesar  Snape,  you're  a  duffer !  a 
miserable  coward,  sir ! "  and  he  made  the  little 
sugar-tongs  in  the  glass  basin  dance  again  as 
he  smote  the  table  with  his  fist. 

"  Scoose  me,  sir,  who  might  you  be  a-speakin' 
of?" 

It  was  Mrs.  Pendlebury,  tall,  gaunt,  and  worn- 
looking,  with  deep  lines  on  her  sallow  face  and 
her  head  cocked  at  an  inquisitive  and  bellicose 
angle.  She  was  a  class  leader  and  a  great 
person  at  the  mothers'  meeting,  and  took  quite 
a  motherly  interest  in  her  young  men,  of  whom 
Snape  was  the  fifth. 

She  had  come  upstairs  to  clear  away  the 
breakfast  things  and  had  overheard  the 
minister's    last    words.      Caesar    started    when 


14  THE  MAKING  OF  THE   MILLION 

thus     addressed,     and     blushed ;     he     always 
.    blushed,   as   if  it   were    not    enough   to   be    a 
coward  without  also  appearing  one. 

"Oh,  it's  nothing,  Mrs.  Pendlebury.  I  was 
only  talking  to  myself  as  usual ;  I'm  all  right 
now." 

The  landlady  gave  her  head  a  dignified  toss, 
and  then  asked,  tartly  :  "  You  was  a-speakin'  of 
my  minister,  I  believe  ?  " 

"  Well,  well !  it's  all  right,  Mrs.  Pendlebury." 
But  the  landlady  stood  her  ground  and  raised 
her   head   a  httle.     "  I  don't   allow   nobody   to 
say   nothin'   agin    my   minister,   sir — it's    them 
Hexams,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  No,  no !  the  Exams  were  last  week ;  it's 
nothing,  I  tell  you,  I'm  all  right,"  and  Snape 
gave  a  significant  glance  at  the  pots  on  the 
table  as  a  hint  that  he  wanted  them  cleared 
away.  But  his  visitor  was  not  to  be  shaken 
off ;  she  had  her  duty  to  perform ;  the  circuit 
had  committed  these  young  men,  one  after 
another,  to  her  to  take  care  of,  and  she  was 
going  to  fulfil  her  commission. 
"Then  it'ull  be  that  Piggin  ?  " 
"No,   no,    Mrs.    Pendlebury,   nothing  of   the 


THE   GRAPES   OF   ESHCOL  1 5 

kind  ;  a — a — it's  this  Million  Scheme,  if  you 
must  know." 

A  smile  as  of  conscious  victory  played  for 
a  moment  round  the  deep-lined  mouth  of  the 
landlady.  "  Oh,  that !  "  she  exclaimed,  takmg 
a  step  nearer  the  table.  "Yes,  we  was  a-con- 
siderin'  of  it  last  night." 

Snape  lifted  his  head  with  a  glance  of 
curiosity  and  surprise.  "  Considering  it  ? 
Where?     Who?" 

"  Me  and  my  members." 

The  minister  could  have  laughed.  The  idea  ! 
The  members  of  this  class,  some  thirty  or  so, 
were  the  very  poorest  in  the  Muggridge  society, 
and  both  they  and  their  leader  would  have  to 
be  paid  for,  if  they  had  any  place  in  the  scheme. 
He  smiled  indulgently,  leaned  back  in  his  chair, 
and  clasping  his  hands  over  his  knees,  asked : 
"  Well,  and  how  did  you  get  on  ?  " 

"  Well,  you  see,  sir  " — and,  to  Snape's  dismay, 
she  sank  into  a  seat  and  prepared  herself  for 
the  long  talk  which  it  was  evident  she  had  come 
to  have — "  Well,  you  see,  sir,  it  was  a  bit 
awkered  at  first." 

Snape  thought  that  very  likely  indeed,  but, 


l6  THE   MAKING  OF   THE   MILLION 

as  there  was  now  no  escape  from  the  good 
woman's  eloquence,  he  tried  to  interest  himself 
in  it,  or  at  least  to  appear  to  do  so. 

"  It  was  that  there  roll  as  bothered  us  most, 
sir ;  they  all  wanted  to  be  on,  an'  hev  all  their 
relations  on  as  well.  Old  Sally  Pride  hez  hed 
three  husbands,  and  she  wanted  all  them  to  be 
on  ;  an'  Deb  West,  her  with  the  red  hair  and 
glidey  eyes,  wants  her  sweetheart  on,  an'  him 
a  ratcatcher.  An'  Letty  Blears  wants  that 
child  of  hers  on  as  nobody  knows  the  father 
of.  Oh,  an'  there's  five  members  as  is  gone  to 
heaven,  an'  two  in  the  '  House,'  an'  three  as  is 
so  old  they  never  comes,  an'  all  them  as  hez 
bad  husbands  wants  'em  on,  an' — an'  what 
shall  we  do,  sir  ?  " 

Snape  was  conscious  of  a  curious  struggle 
within  between  amusement  and  outraged  seemli- 
ness,  but  presently  he  said  :  "  Well,  there's  a 
very  easy  way  of  disposing  of  all  those  questions, 
Mrs.  Pendlebury." 

"'Ndeed,  sir  ;  what  might  it  be  ?  " 

"  Ask  them  to  find  the  guineas ;  that  will 
stop  them.  The  Society  will  pay  for  all  the 
bona  fide  members   of  your  class,  but  we  can- 


THE  GRAPES  OF  ESHCOL  1 7 

not  undertake  for  all  their  relations,  you 
know." 

"Well,  sir?" 

«  Well  ?  that  will  stop  them,  won't  it?  " 

Mrs.  Pendlebury  rose  to  her  feet  and  began 
to  heap  together  the  pots  on  the  tray,  then 
drawing  herself  to  her  full  height,  and  facing 
the  minister  with  a  severe  look,  she  said  :  "  Mr. 
Snape,  my  members  is  members,  an'  not  bony- 
fidees ;  the  Society  can  pay  for  the  bonyfidees, 
whatever  they  are,  if  it  likes,  but  we  shall  pay 
for  ourselves  ;  we  don't  honour  the  Lord  with 
other  people's  substance  in  my  class,  sir."  And 
whisking  the  tray  and  its  contents  off  the  table 
with  a  resolute  and  defiant  jerk,  the  irate  lady 
carried  them  downstairs. 

Left  alone,  the  minister  felt  more  ashamed 
of  himself  than  ever.  His  landlady's  brave 
words  had  enabled  him  to  measure  the  depths 
of  his  own  miserable  cowardice.  Any  other 
man  would  have  resigned  right  away,  but  he 
had  not  even  the  nerve  to  do  that.  In  fact, 
it  was  a  dismal  aggravation  of  his  condition  that 
tne  more  unfit  he  felt  himself  to  be  for  his  great 
calling,  the  more  he  clung  to  it  and  gloried  in  it. 

2 


1 8  THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

This  was  by  no  means  the  first  time  that 
Mrs.  Pendlebury's  words  had  stimulated  him, 
but  now,  smarting  under  the  veiled  and, 
perhaps,  unconscious  rebuke,  he  roused  himself 
to  his  task.  If  such  poor  people  as  his  land- 
lady were  bestirring  themselves,  it  was  high 
time  that  he  should  do  something.  He  dressed 
himself  and  called  upon  the  super.  From  him 
he  went  to  see  the  senior  society  steward. 
Brother  Timms.  Thence  he  passed  on  to  the 
house  of  the  circuit  steward,  and  then  to  the 
residence  of  the  only  great  magnate  in  the 
circuit,  Mr.  Burton,  of  the  Grange.  When  he 
had  finished  his  round  he  had  arranged  for  a 
preliminary  consultative  meeting  to  be  held 
after  the  service  on  the  following  Wednesday 
evening. 

As  he  walked  home  it  occurred  to  him  to 
call  upon  Piggin,  the  leader  of  the  opposition 
in  the  circuit,  and  the  terror  of  all  ministers 
and  officials.  But  he  had  not  been  encouraged 
even  by  those  he  had  already  consulted,  and 
who  were  supposed  to  be  loyal,  and  somehow 
he  hadn't  the  heart  to  face  the  redoubtable 
i^iggin  just  then  ;  and  so  all  the  rest  of  the  day 


THE   GRAPES   OF   ESHCOL  19 

he  was  tormenting  himself  for  giving  way  to 
his  weakness  and  allowing  himself  to  be 
intimidated  by  such  a  man. 

After  tea  he  walked  out  to  Swaddleby  to 
preach,  and  entertained  the  trees  and  hedges 
en  route  with  an  astonishingly  eloquent  deliver- 
ance on  the  Million  Scheme.  After  service  he 
attempted  to  interest  Farmer  Whittle  in  the 
subject,  but  though  he  stuck  valiantly  to 
his  text  during  supper  and  returned  to  it 
again  and  again  in  spite  of  the  farmer's 
tendency  to  divert  the  conversation  to  the  price 
of  stock  and  the  many  excellencies  of  a 
particular  breed  of  pigs,  of  which  he  was  the 
sole  local  patron,  he  went  away  feeling  that  he 
had  failed  once  more,  and  was  plainly  out  of 
his  sphere. 

For  the  next  few  days  the  Rev.  Caesar  was 
the  prey  of  all  kinds  of  haunting  fears.  No- 
body but  his  eccentric  landlady  seemed  to  have 
the  least  interest  in  the  great  scheme.  Timms 
only  laughed  at  him,  and  went  off  into  a  long 
string  of  stories,  which  the  minister  had  heard 
again  and  again,  but  which  were  told  so 
vivaciously   and   with    such   artistic   variations, 


20  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

that  he  was  compelled  to  admit  that  he  enjoyed 
them,  chestnuts  of  the  most  ancient  kind 
though  they  were.  One  or  two  of  the  local 
preachers  spoke  to  him  about  the  effort,  but 
they  were  for  the  most  part  even  more 
impecunious  than  he  was  himself,  and  could 
give  nothing  but  advice. 

But  the  minister's  most  anxious  thoughts 
were  expended  upon  the  Burtons.  Mr.  Burton 
was  rich,  and  was  expected  to  become  a  county 
magistrate  any  day  now.  Everybody  would 
look  to  the  Grange  to  start  the  movement,  and 
unless  the  people  residing  in  that  new  and  very 
grand-looking  house  could  be  got  to  take  a 
hearty  interest  in  the  matter  the  thing  was 
hopeless.     And  yet  what  could  he  do  ? 

Since  his  election  as  chairman  of  the  District 
Council  Mr,  Burton  had  talked  of  nothing  but 
sewage  and  settling  beds  and  effluents  and 
precipitates  and  patent  mixers,  and  Snape 
felt  that  if  he  went  there  again  and  did  not 
succeed  he  would  be  more  depressed  than 
ever. 

And  then  there  was  Miss  Olive.  She  was  a 
Newnham  girl,  with   a  broad,  masculine   fore- 


THE  GRAPES  OF   ESHCOL  21 

head,  and  great,  frank,  grey  eyes  that  looked  you 
through.  He  was  afraid  of  that  girl,  and  was 
always  haunted  during  his  visits  to  the  Grange 
with  the  feeling  that  she  was  secretly  quizzing 
him  and  reckoning  him  up.  She  unnerved  him 
when  he  was  preaching,  especially  when  he 
caught  one  of  those  satirical  smiles  of  hers. 

She  was  a  painfully  natural  young  lady  of 
most  uncompromising  plainness  of  speech,  but 
so  refined  and  intellectual  that  if  he  had  not 
been  a  minister,  and  had  been  anything  like  her 
equal,  he  might  have  been  in  danger  of  falling 
in  love  with  her.  But  on  this  point  he  was 
very  decided ;  he  examined  himself  every  day 
of  his  life,  and  always  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  was  not  to  be  thought  of  She  was  a 
most  engaging  creature,  and  her  culture  gave  a 
piquancy  to  her  that  was  most  fascinating,  but 
whenever  he  left  the  Grange  after  a  bright  hour 
in  her  company  he  thought  of  Beauty  and  the 
Beast,  and  asked  himself  what  she  would  think 
of  him  if  she  ever  knew  that  he  was  only  a 
factory  operative's  son. 

He  hated  pretence  and  false  show,  but  both 
she  and  her  father  always  insisted  upon  treating 


22  THE   MAKING   OF  THE   MILLION 

him  as  a  cultivated  person  and  a  gentleman, 
and  he  had  never  had  the  courage  to  disabuse 
their  minds  on  the  subject,  which  was,  of  course, 
another  evidence  of  his  cowardice. 

And  so  the  days  wore  on,  and  the  eventful 
Wednesday  came.  There  was  a  good  congre- 
gation at  the  service,  and  when  it  was  over 
a  goodly  number  stayed  behind  to  the  after 
meeting.  The  superintendent,  though  still  ill, 
came  in  with  his  mouth  muffled  up,  and  took 
the  chair.  Most  of  the  important  people  of  the 
Society  were  present,  and  one  or  two  representa- 
tives from  the  country  dropped  in.  Altogether 
the  prospect  looked  promising. 

The  super  explained  that  the  meeting  was 
unofficial,  and  was  called  for  the  purpose  of 
forming  some  sort  of  idea  as  to  how  much  the 
circuit  would  contribute  to  the  great  fund.  He 
invited  free  expression  of  opinion,  and  finished 
with  a  pathetic  little  reminder  of  the  obligations 
they  were  all  under  to  the  church  of  their  choice. 
When  he  sat  down  there  was  a  long  and 
awkward  pause,  and  the  Rev.  Caesar,  sitting 
next  to  his  colleague,  felt  his  spirit  running 
rapidly  down. 


THE   GRAPES   OF   ESHCOL  23 

The  super  hinted  that  perhaps  Mr.  Burton 
would  say  a  few  words,  but  that  great  man  had 
a  grievance  against  the  fund  in  the  fact  that  he 
had  been  omitted  from  the  District  Committee, 
and  therefore  he  excused  himself. 

The  minister  named  Brother  Timms  rather 
hesitantly.  The  society  steward  had  a  reputa- 
tion for  making  funny  speeches,  and  certainly 
maintained  it  that  night ;  but,  after  all,  he  con- 
tributed nothing  to  the  subject  in  hand,  and 
the  junior  minister  had  his  own  regretful  and 
despondent  feelings  deepened  by  observing  that 
Miss  Olive,  sitting  near  her  father,  looked 
scornful  and  a  little  impatient  and  weary. 

Then  the  circuit  steward  was  called  upon, 
and  he  ventured,  with  considerable  hesitation, 
to  say  that  he  thought  the  circuit  might  manage 
to  raise,  say,  ;^200.  The  Rev.  Caesar  gasped ; 
that  was  only  about  lOs.  per  member!  What 
would  the  Connexion  think  of  them  ? 

Again  the  super  appealed  to  the  chairman 
of  the  District  Council,  but  he  only  shook  his 
head,  and  as  Caesar  sank  back  with  a  heavy 
sigh  in  his  seat  he  heard  an  ominous  scraping 
of   the    throat    and    a    shuffling    of  feet,   and 


24  THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

glancing  up,  observed  the  obstreperous  Piggin 
on  his  feet.  Piggin  was  short  and  square,  with 
a  frame  full  of  awkward  and  unexpected  angles  ; 
he  had  Dundreary  whiskers,  a  long,  sharp  nose, 
and  a  prominent,  aggressive  chin. 

"  Mr.  Chairman,"  he  began,  drawing  a  long 
sniff  and  turning  the  whites  of  his  eyes  towards 
the  ceiling,  "  some  folks  seem  to  think  that  this 
circuit  is  rich.  I  suppose  if  that's  so,  that  long- 
standing Quarter  board  deficit  has  gone.  I'm 
glad  to  hear  it,  sir.  An'  I  always  understood 
az  we  were  only  waitin'  for  the  Swaddleby 
new  chapel  because  we  couldn't  raise  the 
money.  That  must  be  wrong,  too.  And  we 
don't  need  money,  it  appears,  for  the  Pemberton 
Mission  or  the  Long  Lane  Sunday  School.  I'm 
delighted,  Mr.  Super.  It  appears  that  we  have 
money  to  spend  on  building  cedar  houses  in 
London.  Very  good,  sir,  but  I  claim  to  know 
something  about  Muggridge  Methodism,  and 
it  appears  to  me,  sir,  that  charity  begins  at 
home." 

During  this  weak  but  biting  speech  the 
junior  minister  had  been  going  hot  and  cold 
and   cold   and   hot   again.      He    felt,    for    the 


THE  GRAPES  OF   ESHCOL  2$ 

moment  at  any  rate,  that  he  hated  Piggin, 
and  would  like  to  tell  him  so,  but  just  when 
that  worthy  finished,  a  sudden  fit  of  his  old 
cowardice  came  upon  him,  and  he  sighed  heavily. 
But  another  voice  broke  on  his  ears,  and  a 
familiar  one,  too.  Mrs.  Pendlebury  had  risen 
to  her  feet,  and  was  standing  with  her  eyes 
closed  as  if  in  class. 

"'Scoose  me.  Mister  Super,  might  a  widder 
woman  arsk  a  question?" 

"  Certainly,  Mrs.  Pendlebury,  go  on." 

"  I  should  Hke  to  arsk  where  our  Calebs  and 
Joshuas  are  to-night,"  and  as  Caesar  looked 
up  in  perplexity  he  caught  sight  of  his  landlady 
opening  her  eyes  half-way  to  look  at  him. 

The  super  looked  puzzled,  and  turned  in- 
quiringly to  his  colleague.  Caesar  shook  his 
head  to  express  his  inability  to  interpret,  and 
then  glanced  furtively  towards  the  Grange 
people,  both  of  whom  looked  bored. 

"  I'm  afraid  I  don't  quite  understand  you, 
Mrs.  Pendlebury,"  said  the  super,  looking  hard 
at  the  woman,  who  was  white  with  excitement. 

She  paused  a  moment,  long  enough,  in  fact, 
to  attract  every  eye  in  the  place  to  her,  and  then 


26  THE   MAKING  OF   THE   MILLION 

she  went  on,  speaking  slowly  through  white 
lips :  "  We've  heard  about  the  sons  of  Anak 
and  the  walled  cities,  will  somebody  tell  us 
about  the  grapes  of  Eshcol  ?  " 

Caesar,  being  more  accustomed  than  the 
rest  to  Mrs.  Pendlebury's  curious  methods  of 
argument,  was  the  first  to  catch  the  point  of 
this  rather  obscure  reference,  and  a  great  flush 
of  emotion  passed  over  him.  The  meeting 
and  the  great  people  from  the  Grange  vanished 
out  of  sight,  he  saw  nothing  but  his  landlady's 
pale  face,  and  behind  her  the  whole  stretch  of 
his  own  short  but  happy  and  highly  favoured 
life.     In  a  moment  he  was  on  his  feet. 

Miss  Olive  opened  her  eyes  with  quickened 
interest,  Mr.  Burton  brushed  back  the  scanty 
locks  of  hair  he  had  been  so  restlessly  rubbing, 
and  leaned  forward  to  listen,  and  a  flush  of 
triumph  passed  over  Mrs.  Pendlebury's  face. 

"  Friends,"  cried  Caesar.  "  /'//  tell  you  of  the 
grapes  of  Eshcol.  I  was  born  in  a  cottage  and 
worked  in  a  mill,  but  Methodism  has  made  me 
a  minister  of  the  glorious  gospel.  I  owe  my 
godly  mother  to  Methodism :  the  conversion 
of  my  father  after  twenty  years  of  wifely  prayers 


THE  GRAPES  OF   ESHCOL  2^ 

to  Methodism :  my  education,  my  knowledge 
of  God,  and  my  conversion,  to  Methodism  :  my 
call  to  preach,  and  my  training  at  dear  old 
Didsbury,  to  Methodism.  All  I  have  that  is 
worth  anything  I  owe  to  Methodism,  and  to-day 
as  she  rises  before  the  world  to  do  this  great 
deed  I  want  to  be  with  her,  and  to  be  worthy 
of  her,  and,  God  helping  me,  I  will ! " 

For  several  minutes  more  he  spoke,  rapidly, 
almost  incoherently,  with  moist  eyes  and  quiver- 
ing lips,  and  when  at  last  he  dropped  back  into 
his  seat  the  super  had  hid  his  face  in  his  hand- 
kerchief, and  Mrs.  Pendlebury  was  rocking 
herself  and  gazing  up  at  the  ceiling  with  shining, 
tearful  eyes. 

There  was  an  aw^kward  silence,  and  then 
some  whispering ;  and  presently  Mr.  Burton 
rose  and,  in  very  low  tones,  suggested  that  the 
meeting  should  be  adjourned  for  a  few  days. 
When  the  super  had  pronounced  the  benedic- 
tion he  turned  to  his  still  excited  colleague  and 
gripped  him  with  a  grip  that  was  an  embrace 
in  intensity,  and  then  dragged  him  off  home 
with  him  to  supper. 

Caesar  spent  the  next  day  a  prey  to  his  old 


28  THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

torments,  and  even  Mrs.  Pendlebury,  who  was 
radiantly  sure  now  that  Muggridge  would  do 
its  duty,  could  not  comfort  him.  He  had  made 
an  exhibition  of  himself;  Miss  Olive  knew  now 
that  he  was  lowly  born,  and  he  pictured  to 
himself  again  and  again  her  quiet,  cold  con- 
tempt for  a  man  who  had  so  little  fineness  of 
feeling  as  to  make  a  show  of  his  emotions  in 
public. 

In  the  afternoon,  to  his  terror,  he  received 
an  invitation  to  high  tea  at  the  Grange,  and 
would  have  given  anything  to  have  a  decent 
excuse  for  declining.  He  had  cried  like  a  baby, 
he  told  himself,  and  had  not  even  the  consola- 
tion of  having  accomplished  anything.  The 
Burtons  were  unusually  kind  to  him  that  night, 
but  he  was  sure  they  were  graver  and  more 
reserved  than  common,  and  Mr.  Burton  did  not 
even  mention  the  previous  night's  meeting. 

"  And  so  you  are  an  ex-factory  operative, 
and  your  mother  was  a  weaver?"  said  Miss 
Olive,  as  she  helped  him  on  with  his  overcoat 
in  the  lobby  as  he  was  leaving. 

And,  with  a  desperate  effort,  Caesar  answered  : 
"  Yes,  Miss  Burton,  and  I  am  not  ashamed  of  it." 


THE  GRAPES   OF   ESHCOL  29 

The  lady  stood  on  the  doormat,  evidently 
reflecting,  and  then  she  lifted  her  clear  eyes  to 
his  and  asked : 

"And  why  did  you  not  tell  us  all  this 
before  ?  " 

"  Because  I'm  a  coward,  Miss  Burton  ;  a  mean, 
unworthy  coward." 

She  looked  long  and  steadily  into  his  face 
as  he  spoke,  and  then,  as  he  put  out  his  hand 
to  say  good-night,  she  took  it  absently,  and 
answered,  in  soft,  low  tones :  "  I  wish  there 
were  many  more  such  cowards  in  the  world, 
Mr.  Snape." 

Next  day  it  was  known  in  Muggridge  that 
the  Burtons  were  giving  ;^500  to  the  Million 
Scheme,  and  a  week  later  the  Rev.  Caesar  was 
received  at  the  Grange  in  another  and  closer 
capacity  than  that  of  minister. 


THE    COMMITTEE    MAN 


II 

THE    COMMITTEE    MAN 

THE  last  building  you  pass  as  you  go  out 
of  the  top  end  of  Great  Barkin  is  Jonathan 
Tradger's  workshop.  It  occupies,  in  fact,  the 
extreme  point  of  the  diamond-shaped  island 
formed  by  two  great  roads  that  run  through  the 
town  and  unite  at  the  end  of  it.  The  shop  is 
therefore  triangular  in  shape,  having  a  long  side 
upon  each  of  the  roads  and  a  blunt  point  at 
the  fork. 

The  outside  walls  are  farmed  by  two  rival 
firms  of  billstickers  from  the  county  town,  and 
there  is  a  great  door  facing  the  Penkerton  Road 
that  is  never  opened  nowadays,  and  another 
great  door  opening  on  the  High  Street,  that  is 
never  shut,  at  least  in  the  daytime. 

The    first    glance    through    the    open    door 

33  3 


34  THE   MAKING    OF   THE   MILLION 

suggests  a  carpenter's  shop,  for  the  floor  is 
strewn  with  shavings  and  there  is  a  joiner's 
bench  against  the  opposite  wall  ;  but  a  second 
look  shows  that  the  shavings  are  old  and  dirty, 
and  that  the  bench  is  littered  with  paint  cans 
and  rolls  of  wall  paper,  whilst  between  the 
bench  and  the  wall  are  stuck  a  gig  umbrella 
and  two  ordinary  ones,  half  hiding  a  plumber's 
soldering  iron  and  a  pair  of  tinker's  shears  which 
hang  in  a  rough  rack  against  the  wall  itself 

If  you  put  your  head  inside  you  also  observe, 
deep  in  the  shop,  a  blacksmith's  bellows,  two  or 
three  disabled  perambulators,  an  old-fashioned 
ordinary  bicycle  and  three  or  four  safeties. 

The  fact  is,  Jonathan,  the  proprietor  of  this 
shop,  is  the  village  Jack-of-all-trades  ;  for  Barkin, 
now  a  decayed  village,  was  once  a  market  town, 
and  as  its  tradesmen  were  driven  out  of  it  one 
by  one  by  lack  of  business,  the  remaining  in- 
rtabitants  fell  back  upon  Tradger,  who,  as  he 
was  too  disreputable  and  intemperate  to  care 
much,  gradually  slipped  into  the  way  of  doing 
any  sort  of  odd  job  that  might  be  brought  him. 

Some  sixteen  months  ago,  however,  Jonathan 
was  converted,  as  the  result  of  the  visit  of  a 


THE  COMMITTEE   MAN  35 

Joyful  News  Mission  car  to  the  village,  and 
since  then  he  has  been  a  consistent  though 
demonstrative  and  unmanageably  unconven- 
tional member  of  the  Wesleyan  Church. 

The  Methodists  of  Barkin  are  staid  and  highly 
decorous,  and  some  of  Jonathan's  ways  shocked 
and  alarmed  them  ;  but  he  was  so  humble,  so 
grateful  to  them  for  their  kindly  recognition  of 
him,  so  eager  in  his  desire  to  comprehend  all 
the  peculiarities  of  Methodist  doctrine  and  pro- 
cedure, and  so  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  the 
Church  of  his  choice,  that  nobody  had  the  heart 
to  check  him,  and  Mrs.  Wilkins,  the  super- 
numerary's widow,  who  was  the  ultimate  authority 
on  all  matters  of  Church  etiquette,  was  not 
without  fear  that  the  good  folk  would  spoil 
him. 

Jonathan  was  a  sandy  man,  approaching  sixty, 
a  little  below  the  medium  height,  with  fairly 
regular  features  disfigured  somewhat  by  a  knobby 
red  nose,  due  partly  to  pugilistic  encounters  and 
partly  to  the  influence  of  drink. 

"  Wot's  this  ? "  he  growled,  in  a  voice  that 
was  now  always  husky,  as  he  entered  the  shop 
one  morning  just  before    Christmas.      As   he 


36  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

spoke  he  pointed  with  the  only  whole  finger 
he  possessed  on  his  right  hand  to  a  circular 
lying  on  the  box  of  a  sewing  machine  which  he 
had  been  repairing  the  day  before. 

"  It's  a  circular.  You're  a  committee  man 
now,"  replied  Walter  John,  his  only  son  and 
assistant,  who,  in  virtue  of  a  brilliant  victory 
obtained  over  the  crafty  machinations  of  a 
Government  inspector  in  the  matter  of  a  sixth 
standard  examination,  was  regarded  by  his 
parents  as  a  perfect  marvel  of  learning,  and 
had  consequently  the  right  of  opening  and 
answering  his  father's  correspondence. 

"  Read  it,"  jerked  out  Jonathan  shortly  ;  and, 
turning  to  look  through  the  open  door,  as  he 
generally  did  when  he  wanted  to  think,  he 
leaned  heavily  on  one  leg  in  a  listening  attitude. 

Walter  John  left  the  dog-kennel  he  was 
painting  and,  putting  down  his  brush,  picked  up 
the  missive  and  read  in  a  brisk  business  style  of 
which  he  was  very  proud  : 

"Dear  Bro. — I  have  pleasure  in  informing 
you  that  at  the  Quarterly  Meeting  held  yester- 
day you  were   appointed   a   member   of  'The 


THE   COMMITTEE   MAN  37 

Twentieth  Century  Fund '  committee  for 
this  circuit. — Yours  sincerely,  Geo.  Wilde, 
Secretary!^ 

Jonathan  drew  himself  up  ;  a  look  of  grave 
importance  came  upon  his  face,  a  soft  gratified 
light  beamed  from  his  eyes,  whilst  he  pursed 
out  his  lips  and  screwed  his  mouth  about,  to 
conceal  a  tell-tale  smile.  Then  he  turned  and 
had  another  long  stare  out  of  the  door,  and 
presently,  giving  his  mouth  a  sort  of  covering 
wipe  with  the  back  of  his  hand,  he  picked  up 
the  circular  which  his  son  had  laid  down  and 
examined  it,  back  and  front,  over  and  over  again. 
In  a  wavering,  meditative  manner  he  scrutinised 
the  document,  and  then,  as  if  fearing  to  be 
caught  in  the  act,  he  abruptly  dropped  it  and 
resumed  his  staring  through  the  door. 

Walter  John  was  perfectly  aware  that  his 
father  wanted  to  ask  a  question,  but  as  it 
was  always  part  of  his  policy  to  maintain  his 
intellectual  reputation  by  affecting  a  lofty  in- 
difference, he  commenced  to  hiss  a  tune  through 
his  teeth,  and  became  deeply  absorbed  in  the 
painting  of  the  kennel.     Jonathan  watched  the 


38,  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 


operation  out  of  the  corner  of  his  eye  for  a  time, 
and  then  turning  to  the  machine,  he  resumed 
his  work  of  the  night  before,  asking  as  he  picked 
up  his  tools  :    "  Wot's  committys  for  ?  " 

And  Walter  John  stood  back  and  examined 
the  kennel  critically  as  he  answered :  "  For 
talkin'." 

Jonathan  looked  enquiringly  at  his  son  for  a 
moment,  and  then  bending  over  his  work  he 
applied  an  oilcan  to  the  machine  and  gave  the 
treadle  an  experimental  touch  with  his  foot  as 
he  asked  :  "  But  wot  do  they  do  ?  " 

And  the  youthful  but  unconsciously  cynical 
libeller  of  these  great  modern  institutions 
answered  with  a  slight  accent  of  contempt :  "  Oh, 
nothing,  only  talk." 

Jonathan  heaved  a  perplexed  and  protesting 
sigh,  and  was  just  about  to  address  a  remon- 
strance to  his  son,  when  a  shadow  fell  across  the 
sewing  machine,  and  a  deep  voice  behind  him 
cried  :  "  Mornin',  boy,  mornin'." 

The  new-comer  was  a  tall,  thin  man,  with 
broad,  angular  shoulders  drawn  up  into  his 
almost  invisible  neck,  for  the  morning  was  cold 
and  nipping.     His  hands  were  thrust  deep  into 


THE   COMMITTEE   MAN  39 

his  pockets,  and  his  thin  snipe  nose  and  red 
eyes  were  moist  with  tears  of  cold.  He  was 
Jonathan's  class  leader  and  chief  mentor,  and 
his  name  was  Solomon  Jurby. 

Saluting  Jonathan  and  his  son  as  he  passed 
them,  Solomon  strode  to  the  far  end  of  the  shop, 
where  there  was  a  small  stove  and  a  disabled 
wooden  cradle  which,  turned  on  its  side,  served 
as  a  seat.  Squatting  down  upon  this,  he  took 
the  lid  off  the  stove  and  began  to  stir  the 
fire,  grumbling  the  while  at  the  weather.  But 
Jonathan  had  something  much  more  important 
than  mere  meteorological  discussion  on  his 
mind,  and  so  without  further  hesitation  he 
commenced :  "  Sol,  wot's  this  Cen-cen-tenary 
Fund  ? ' 

Solomon  looked  blank  for  a  moment.  '' W-o-t? 
Oh,  t'  Centennery  Fund  thou  means." 

"  Tchat ! "  interrupted  Walter  John,  with 
superior  impatience.  "  He  means  that  there 
Twentieth  Century  Fun'." 

«0-h,  that!  Ah!  that's  somethin',  that  is! 
I  know'd  we  should  hev  somethin'  wonderful 
when  that  Hughes  was  President." 

Jonathan    felt   himself   growing    bigger,   but 


40  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

curbing  his  rising  elation  he  asked  :  "  Well,  wot 
is  it?" 

"  Wot  is  it  ?  it's  a  reg'ler  flabbergaster,  that's 
wot  it  is !  Huz  Methodisses  is  goin'  to  subscribe 
one  million  guineas^ 

Jonathan's  face  expanded  into  a  broad 
gratified  grin,  and  he  looked  at  his  mentor  with 
wonderine  delis^ht.  In  a  moment  he  ventured  : 
"  How  much  is  a  milliond,  Solomon  ?  " 

"  A  million !  a  million's  t-e-n  h-u-n-d-r-e-d 
t-h-o-u-s-a-n-d,"  and  Solomon  sounded  like  a 
man  who  was  struggling  with  the  miserable 
inadequacy  of  human  language  to  express  the 
vastness  of  his  ideas. 

Jonathan's  face  was  a  picture,  and,  as  wonder 
is  one  of  the  strongest  stimulants  to  eloquence, 
Solomon  plunged  off  into  a  detailed  description 
of  the  great  scheme,  adding  in  his  excitement 
details  which  were,  to  say  the  least,  apocryphal. 
So  stimulating,  in  fact,  did  he  find  Jonathan's 
wonderment  that,  having  exhausted  his  own 
resources  on  the  question,  he  sent  Walter  John 
to  his  house  for  the  last  issue  of  the  Recorder, 
and  when  he  returned  Jonathan  left  his  work 
and    joined    Solomon   at   the    stove,    listening 


THE  COMMITTEE  MAN  4I 

with  ejaculations  of  astonishment  and  delight 
as  his  learned  son  reeled  off  at  express  rate 
a  long  account  of  the  great  meeting  at  Leeds. 

As  the  reading  proceeded,  he  punctuated 
it  with  energetic  nods ;  then  he  smote  his 
hands  together  in  keenest  relish,  and  when 
at  last  with  a  rhetorical  flourish  the  self- 
satisfied  reader  finished  the  President's  speech, 
Jonathan  leaned  forward,  and  smiting  Solomon 
heavily  on  the  back,  he  cried  with  emphatic 
conviction  : 

"Sol,  t'  Bank  of  Englan's  nowt  to  huz 
Methodisses." 

Solomon  smiled  indulgently  upon  what  he 
regarded  as  the  pardonable  extravagance  of  his 
friend,  and  was  just  about  to  make  a  reply 
when  Walter  John,  now  warm  to  his  work, 
plunged  off  into  a  long  account  of  the  historic 
roll,  and  from  that  to  a  list  of  circuit  subscrip- 
tions, in  which,  as  Jonathan  remarked,  thousands 
seemed  "  as  common  as  coppers." 

When  at  last  the  great  reader  finished,  out 
of  breath  and  a  little  hoarse,  his  father  was  in 
the  seventh  heaven  of  delight  and  pride.  As 
Solomon  rose  to  go,  however,  Jonathan  had  a 


42  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

sudden  recollection,  and  checking  his  friend  as 
he  strolled  towards  the  door,  he  asked  abruptly  : 
"  Wot's  committy  men  got  to  do  ?  " 

"  Do  ?  Oh,  lead  off  t'  subscriptions  an' 
collect.     Wot  for?" 

Jonathan  pointed  to  the  circular  still  lying 
on  the  sewing  machine,  and  Solomon  took  it 
up,  gave  a  little  nod  of  surprise,  and  then 
assuming  a  very  knowing  look,  as  if  to  con- 
vey the  impression  that  he  had  fully  expected 
some  such  thing,  he  lounged  to  the  door.  He 
had  reached  the  open  air  and  was  standing 
gazing  down  the  road  when  Jonathan  followed 
him,  and  drawing  him  by  the  button-hole  still 
farther  away,  in  order  to  be  out  of  earshot 
of  Walter  John,  he  said  :  "  Fancy,  Sol !  drunken 
Johnty's  name  among  all  them  million 
Methodys !  " 

All  that  morning  as  Jonathan  went  about 
his  various  occupations,  his  mind  dwelt 
delightedly  on  the  wonderful  scheme  in 
which  so  lowly  a  man  as  he  was  to  have 
his  part ;  as  he  meditated,  the  dark  shadows 
of  difficulties  cast  themselves  every  now  and 
again     across    the    brightness    of   his    visions, 


THE   COMMITTEE   MAN  43 

but  he  put  them  away,  as  had  been  his  habit 
far  too  much  through  all  his  life,  and  reso- 
lutely kept  before  himself  the  great  glory 
that  was  coming  to  the  Church  to  which  he 
owed  so  much. 

But  when  he  had  sent  Walter  John  out  with 
the  now  restored  sewing  machine,  he  stole  to 
the  seat  which  Solomon  had  so  recently  occupied 
in  order  to  face  fairly  the  hindrances  which 
he  could  no  longer  hide  from  himself  To 
begin  with,  his  wife  was  not  a  member,  and 
had  always  had  decided  leanings  towards  the 
Church  of  England. 

Moreover,  to  the  great  comfort  of  the  family, 
she  had  always  been  the  purse-bearer  of  the 
household,  and  they  were  very  poor,  having 
scarcely  got  out  of  the  financial  difficulties 
into  which  his  intemperate  habits  had  plunged 
them.  He  felt  certain  that  Rebecca  would  not 
see  the  wisdom  or  even  the  possibility  of  giving 
away  money,  whole  guineas  at  a  time,  and 
would  be  able  to  tell  him  of  any  number  of 
claims  upon  their  slender  resources  which,  in 
her  judgment,  were  both  more  pressing  and 
more  equitable  than  what  he  desired. 


44  THE   MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

He  fancied  he  could  hear  her  repeating  again 
one  of  her  favourite  proverbs,  "Just  before 
generous,  Jonathan,"  and  the  very  most  that 
he  could  expect  her  to  do  was  to  offer  to  give  a 
guinea  for  himself  But  a  committee  man  whose 
family  even  were  not  included  in  the  contribu- 
tions would  be  an  everlasting  disgrace  to  the 
great  movement. 

And  then  there  was  that  roll-signing.  He 
had  almost  forgotten  how  to  write,  and  his  wife, 
even  if  she  consented  to  subscribe,  could  not 
use  a  pen  any  better  than  he  could  himself,  and 
their  clumsy  caligraphy  would  be  a  sad  dis- 
figurement to  the  great  record.  For  somehow 
Jonathan  had  got  it  fixed  in  his  mind  that  all 
who  went  upon  the  roll  would  have  to  sign 
their  own  names. 

And  then  there  was  Martha  Jane,  who  was 
in  service  some  thirty  miles  away ;  she  was 
almost  as  decided  in  her  preference  for  the 
Church  as  her  mother,  and  would  not  be  able 
to  come  so  far  to  sign,  even  if  they  were  able 
to  raise  the  money. 

Once  more,  there  was  Walter  John  to  be 
considered  ;   he  was  a  Wesleyan  certainly,  for 


THE   COMMITTEE   MAN  45 

he  blew  the   little  chapel  organ  and   attended 
the  Sunday  school. 

Altogether,  as  Jonathan  looked  at  the 
difficulties  fairly  and  squarely,  they  appeared 
blacker  and  blacker,  and  when  he  was  called 
to  dinner,  he  left  the  shop  in  a  very  perplexed 
and  anxious  frame  of  mind.  It  occurred  to 
him  as  he  walked  to  the  house  to  broach  the 
question  to  his  wife,  as  he  generally  had  to  do 
in  his  troubles,  but  the  domestic  weather  seemed 
so  threatening  when  he  got  indoors  that  he 
judged  it  better  to  defer  the  matter  until  a  more 
propitious  moment. 

It  came  that  very  night,  and  Jonathan, 
finding  his  wife  in  a  cheerful  mood  for  her, 
told  his  tale ;  skipping  characteristically  the 
monetary  difficulty  and  presenting  to  his  wife's 
superior  inventiveness  the  problem  of  the  roll- 
signing.  Rebecca  heard  him  through,  and 
ignoring  altogether  the  writing  question,  she 
gently,  but  with  remorseless  logic,  made  it  clear 
to  him  that  the  thing  was  entirely  beyond  them. 
Her  catalogue  of  pressing  needs  and  approach- 
ing payments  made  his  heart  sink,  and  he 
found  himself,  to  his  alarm,  getting  angry. 


46  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

"  But,  woman ! "  he  cried,  when  she  had 
finished,  "  we're  on  the  committee ! "  But 
Rebecca  only  shook  her  head,  and  as  Jonathan 
was  naturally  passionate,  and  since  his  con- 
version had  been  haunted  more  with  the  fear 
of  losing  his  temper  than  even  slipping  back 
into  intemperance,  he  made  a  strong  effort, 
choked  back  his  resentment,  and  with  a  sigh 
of  reluctant  resignation  went  off  to  bed. 

When  he  had  gone,  Rebecca,  who  had  feared 
an  outburst  from  her  husband,  and  had  watched 
with  growing  gratitude  his  successful  effort  in 
self-control,  sat  glowering  moodily  into  the  fire. 
Once  or  twice  she  sighed  and  her  lips  moved  as 
if  in  prayer,  and  presently  she  got  up  and  took 
a  small  rosewood  box  from  the  mantelpiece. 
Opening  this,  she  picked  out  a  Joyful  News 
pledge  card  and  a  Methodist  class  ticket,  upon 
the  former  of  which  was  scrawled  in  rude,  uneven 
characters  her  husband's  name.  With  pensive, 
musing  face  she  turned  them  over,  and  then 
looking  at  them  earnestly  through  moistening 
eyes,  she  murmured  :  "  It  mus'  be  done  ! — some- 
way !  Them  two  papers  is  worth  a  million,  aye, 
a  million  apiece  to  me  ;  "  and  putting  them  slowly 


THE   COMMITTEE   MAN  47 

and  carefully  back  in  the  box,  she  made  her  way 
upstairs. 

During  the  next  few  days  Jonathan  was  greatly 
exercised  in  his  mind  as  to  how  he  should  raise 
the  money  for  his  subscription,  for  though  on 
the  night  of  his  conversation  with  his  wife  he  had 
almost  given  up  the  idea,  the  new  day  brought 
new  hope  ;  but  as  nobody  had  told  him  that  the 
money  could  be  paid  in  small  instalments,  he 
was  at  his  wits'  end  to  solve  the  problem. 

He  overhauled  the  miscellaneous  articles 
which  had  accumulated  in  his  workshop  in  the 
hope  of  finding  something  saleable,  but  as  he 
had  often  done  this  before  to  raise  money  for 
drink,  there  was  nothing  left  that  would  give 
him  any  help. 

Then  he  debated  with  himself  the  possibility 
of  selling  the  Christmas  pig,  or  rather  its  carcass, 
for  the  animal  had  already  been  slaughtered  ;  but 
as  his  wife  generally  managed  that  business 
herself,  he  soon  abandoned  hope  in  that  direction. 

Then  it  occurred  to  him  to  try  to  borrow 
something  from  his  absent  daughter  ;  but,  again, 
the  remembrance  of  like  transactions  in  his 
unregenerate  days  restrained  him. 


48  THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

Finally,  in  his  increasing  perplexities,  he  fell 
back  upon  his  old  friend  Solomon,  and  as  they 
sat  together  one  dinner  hour  over  the  little  stove, 
he  unbosomed  himself  Solomon  was  very 
mysterious  and  taciturn  for  a  while,  but  seeing 
his  pupil's  anxiety  and  knowing  something  of 
the  official  secrets  of  the  Barking  Wesleyans,  he 
at  last  took  his  pipe  out  of  his  mouth  and  said  : 
"Johnty  boy,  be  content,  whoever  is  left  off 
that  paper  thy  name  will  be  there,"  and  then  he 
lapsed  again  into  the  most  discouraging  silence. 

"But  wot  about  the  fam'ly  ?  "  asked  Jonathan 
anxiously,  and  Solomon  shook  his  head  as  if  to 
say  that  they  were  in  a  very  different  category. 
And  of  course  this  conversation  did  not  comfort 
Jonathan  as  much  as  it  was  intended  to  do,  for 
he  somehow  felt  that  the  thing  would  lose  much 
of  its  interest  to  him  if  his  beloved  ones  did 
not  take  part  in  it. 

One  day  in  Christmas  week,  however,  Jonathan 
received  a  surprise  that  almost  reconciled  him 
to  being  left  out  of  the  great  achievement.  As 
he  was  dressing  to  go  to  class  and  was  strug- 
gling before  the  little  glass  trying  to  arrange 
his  frayed  necktie  so  that  the  place  where  the 


THE  COMMITTEE  MAN  49 

lining  showed  would  be  concealed,  his  wife 
came  downstairs  dressed  to  go  out. 

Jonathan  looked  at  her  in  astonishment,  for 
she  seldom  went  out  at  night.  "  I'm  thinkin' 
of  goin'  with  thee  to-night,  Johnty,"  she  said 
softly,  as  she  looked  hard  at  the  floor.  And 
Jonathan  eyed  her  over  from  head  to  foot  as 
he  asked : 

"  To  class  ?  " 

"  To  class." 

And  then  it  flashed  into  his  mind  that  his 
wife  was  going  to  class  to  console  him  for  his 
disappointment  about  the  great  fund,  and  he 
turned  hastily  away  and  tried  to  swallow  some- 
thing. Well !  it  was  a  grand  idea  after  all  ! 
She  had  chosen  that  one  thing  which  she  knew 
would  be  sweetest  of  all  to  him.  Oh,  what  a 
wife  she  was !  and  for  the  next  few  minutes 
as  they  walked  down  the  High  Street  towards 
the  chapel  he  silently  thanked  God  that  they 
had  ever  heard  of  this  glorious  fund. 

It  happened  to  be  fellowship  meeting  that 
night  at  the  class,  and  so  Jonathan  missed  the 
luxury  of  hearing  his  wife's  first  "  experience." 
But  when  the  meeting  was  over  and  the  leader 

4 


50  THE   MAKING  OF   THE   MILLION 

was  marking  the  names,  he  said  :  "  Glad  to  see 
Sister  Tradger  to-night ;  we  won't  press  you 
to  have  your  name  down  now  ;  perhaps  you 
would  like  to  try  some  other  class  first." 

"  But  I  want  it  down." 

"  To-night  ?  " 

"  To-night ! " 

Jonathan  could  have  hugged  his  wife  then 
and  there,  and  as  he  went  home  he  told  himself 
that  he  should  always  love  the  Million  Fund, 
and  if  ever  he  had  the  chance  of  giving  to  his 
beloved  Church 


But  next  morning  it  took  all  his  new  joy  to 
sustain  him,  for  the  post  brought  him  a  summons 
to  the  committee  meeting,  and  with  no  chance 
of  being  able  to  contribute  he  felt  that  he 
could  not  go,  and  his  absence  might  be 
taken  for  indifference ;  and  he  owed  so  much 
to  Methodism  that  he  could  not  bear  the 
thought   of  that. 

In  the  afternoon  Solomon  called  at  the  shop, 
and  was  so  full  of  the  approaching  meeting  that 
the  carpenter  had  not  the  heart  to  tell  him 
that  he  did  not  intend  to  attend ;  and  when 
he   went   away   Jonathan    was   more  miserable 


THE   COMMITTEE   MAN  5 1 

than  ever.  As  night  came  on  he  grew  very- 
restless  and  dejected ;  once  he  told  himself  to 
have  faith  in  God  and  go  to  the  committee : 
but  that  effort  was  too  great  to  be  sustained, 
and  as  the  time  drew  near  he  seated  himself 
moodily  by  the  fire  at  home  in  fidgety  distress 
lest  Solomon  should  call  for  him,  as  he  some- 
times did. 

Just  then  there  was  a  sharp  knock  at  the 
door,  and  he  felt  a  chill  creep  over  him  as  he 
heard  a  man's  voice.  But  it  was  not  Solomon, 
it  was  the  circuit  minister. 

"Come,  Brother  Tradger,  aren't  you  coming 
to  the  meeting  ?  " 

Jonathan  groaned  and  answered  sadly :  "  I 
can't,  sir  ;  I've  nothing  to  give." 

Jonathan  heard  a  stifled  sob  behind  him, 
which  he  knew  came  from  his  wife ;  but  the 
minister  was  speaking  again. 

"  Never  mind,  come  along  !  We  must  have 
you  on  the  roll  whoever  is  omitted." 

"  But  that  would  be  four  guineas,  an'  we 
haven't  one." 

"  Four  fiddlesticks !  Nothing  of  the  kind  ; 
this    isn't    a    tax,   my   friend,    it's    a    free-will 


52  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

offering,    and    those    who    have   will    give   for 
those  who  haven't." 

"  But  I'm  on  the  committee,  sir." 

"  Of  course  you  are  ;  I  proposed  you  myself ; 
only  some  can  give,  but  we  must  all  share  in 
the  joy  of  it,  you  know.  You  must  just  give 
what  you  are  able  without  injury  to  yourselves, 
and  that  you  can  do  by  instalments." 

"  By  what,  sir  ?  "     (This  from  Mrs.  Tradger.) 

"  By  instalments — so  much  a  week  or  month, 
you  know." 

Rebecca  turned  her  back  to  the  minister  and 
marched  hurriedly  upstairs. 

In  a  moment  she  came  down  with  a  strange 
glow  upon  her  faded  face. 

"  Can  them  go  on  the  roll  az  is  only  just 
joined,  sir  ?  " 

"  Yes,  of  course  !  But  you  can't  afford,  Mrs. 
Tradger,  you  can't  really." 

"An'  can  children  az  isn't  members  be  on 
sir?" 

"  Yes,  if  they  are  the  children  of  our  people 
certainly." 

And  then  Rebecca,  whom  Jonathan  was 
watching  intently,  put   out  her  thin  worn   arm 


THE   COMMITTEE   MAN  $3 

and  laid  a  guinea  on  the  table.  "  That's  for  the 
Church  az  turned  a  bad  husban'  into  a  good  'un, 
an'  that,"  putting  a  crown  piece  near  the  guinea, 
"  is  a  thankful  offering  from  the  poor  wife  az 
got  that  new  husban',"  and  then,  fumbling  in 
her  pocket,  she  brought  out  a  shilling,  and 
placing  it  near  the  other  money,  she  went  on, 
"an'  that's  sixpence  a  week  for  Walter  John 
an'  for  the  dear  lass  as  sent  her  father's  guinea." 

The  minister  was  overcome  and  tried  to 
expostulate,  but  Mrs.  Tradger  insisted  on 
having  her  way ;  the  instalment  plan  settled 
everything,  she  said. 

And  so  Jonathan  went  to  the  committee. 


A    MANCHESTER    MAN 


55 


Ill 

A    MANCHESTER    MAN 

YES,  he  was  incomprehensible ;  the  dearest, 
the  best  of  fellows,  the  most  generous  and 
indulgent  of  husbands,  and  as  true  a  man  as 
ever  stepped,  but  peculiar,  self-contradictory,  and 
perplexing,  and  pretty  Mrs.  Harwood,  with  a 
pucker  on  her  white  brow  and  an  absorbed, 
far-away  look  in  her  eyes,  gave  a  soft  protesting 
sigh  and  sank  still  farther  back  into  the  easy 
chair  which  already  almost  buried  her.  She 
was  thinking,  of  course,  of  her  husband,  to 
whom  she  had  been  married  now  about  four 
years. 

She  was  a  Wesleyan  minister's  daughter,  and 
had  been  brought  up  in  the  bookish,  unworldly 
atmosphere  of  the  manse,  where  she  had  been 
her  father's  companion   and  favourite.     Conse- 

57 


58  THE   MAKING  OF  THE   MILLION 

quently  her  tastes  were  distinctly  literary,  and 
she  was  better  up  at  any  rate  in  the  lighter 
literature  of  the  day  than  most  ladies  of  her  age 
and  rank. 

Everybody  said  she  was  a  remarkable  judge 
of  human  nature,  and  all  her  friends  compli- 
mented her  on  her  gift  of  reading  character. 
She  believed  them,  of  course,  in  a  becoming 
way,  but  lo !  the  very  first  man  she  had  ever 
become  intimately  acquainted  with,  and  the 
man  of  all  others  she  most  wanted  to  read 
nonplussed  her  altogether,  and  after  four  years 
of  careful  study  of  him  she  had  to  confess  that 
he  was  an  enigma. 

'  Her  father  had  travelled  mostly  in  country 
circuits  where  the  good  folk  take  life  easily, 
and  she  had  grown  up  to  dislike  and  fear  the 
commercial  spirit,  and  after  all  she  had  married 
that  embodiment  of  intensest  commercialism, 
a  Manchester  man.  He  was  a  prompt,  cool, 
and  smart  business  man,  with  a  reputation  of 
being  the  keenest  buyer  on  the  market ;  but 
before  she  had  time  to  settle  upon  this  as  the 
keystone  of  his  character,  she  found  that  at 
home   he   was    easy-going,  jovial,   and    almost 


A   MANCHESTER   MAN  59 

carelessly  extravagant  in  matters  of  household 
expenditure. 

One  thing  had  become  clear  to  her  in  the 
course  of  this  interesting  study,  namely,  that  her 
husband  had  a  most  intolerant  hatred  of  every- 
thing that  savoured  of  pretence,  and  of  this  she 
was  proud ;  only  he  carried  it  to  such  strange 
and  uncomfortable  lengths,  and  was  very  fond 
of  a  curious  sort  of  self-depreciation,  and  liked 
to  speak  of  everything  that  belonged  to  himself 
in  disparaging  and  apologetic  terms — a  pecu- 
liarity which  she  had  also  noticed  was  common 
to  Lancashire  men. 

In  the  company  of  ministers  and  officials  he 
assumed  the  manner  of  an  ignorant  and  in- 
different onlooker,  and  then  amongst  unim- 
portant people  he  would  talk  like  a  Methodist 
puritan.  He  seemed,  in  fact,  to  think  that  it 
was  his  duty  to  deceive  his  fellow-men  as 
much  as  possible  about  all  his  most  important 
feelings  and  interests. 

He  wasn't  a  wholesale  draper,  he  was  in 
the  "  rag "  trade.  His  large  warehouses  he 
always  spoke  of  as  "  th'  shop,"  and  if  ever  they 
went  into   particular   company  where   she  was 


60  THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

anxious  that  he  should  appear  a  gentleman,  he 
was  sure  to  drop  into  the  dialect — a  thing  he 
never  did,  or  scarcely  ever,  at  home. 

All  their  business  friends  regarded  him  as 
one  of  the  safest  men  financially  of  their  set, 
but  he  delighted,  in  all  sorts  of  company,  in 
telling  romancing  stories  which  seemed  to 
indicate  that  he  was  in  a  state  of  chronic 
financial  tightness,  whilst  he  pretended  to  be 
very  anxious  to  keep  friendly  with  the  chapel 
steward,  because  he  was  the  bank-manager, 
and  might  be  awkward  about  the  overdraft. 

He  affected  to  know  and  care  nothing  about 
the  "  Connexion,"  and  yet  he  took  in  all  the 
Conference  publications,  and  went  to  sleep  over 
them  every  Sunday  afternoon,  and  he  had  a 
little  joke  about  not  being  able  to  get  off  unless 
he  had  the  current  number. 

Altogether  he  was  a  contradiction  and  an 
enigma,  and  it  was  very  humiliating  to  her 
pride  and  her  reputation  for  character-reading, 
to  be  obliged  to  confess  to  herself  that  she 
was  very  little  nearer  understanding  the  man 
she  loved  than  she  was  on  the  day  she  married 
him. 


A   MANCHESTER   MAN  6l 

And  just  now  there  was  special  reason  that 
she  should  know  how  to  deal  with  him  ;  for 
this  great  "  Million  Scheme "  had  been  an- 
nounced, and  it  was  just  the  thing  to  appeal 
to  her  imaginative  temperament,  and  it  had 
done.  She  was  a  Methodist  of  the  Methodists, 
and  as  a  child  of  the  manse  felt  great  pride  in 
the  Church  of  her  fathers. 

But  she  knew  something  of  the  Manchester 
men  by  this  time,  and  felt  certain  that  to 
their  cool,  level-headed  commercial  minds  the 
enterprise  would  look  fantastic  and  quixotic. 
What  a  pity  and  a  shame  it  would  be,  if  sordid 
love  of  money  and  lack  of  imagination  should 
spoil  so  grand  a  thing. 

By  this  time  she  knew  without  the  least  vanity 
that  she  was  an  important  person  in  the  circuit, 
and  had  more  influence  than  the  wives  of  most 
of  the  officials  ;  and  if  only  her  husband  would 
support  her,  she  felt  that  she  could  make  this 
rich  suburban  circuit  of  theirs  do  its  duty.  But 
there  was  the  difficulty ;  her  husband  never 
seemed  to  take  her  seriously,  and  though  he 
never  crossed  her  in  any  of  her  little  projects, 
and   seemed,  indeed,  anxious  in   a  lazy  sort  of 


62  THE   MAKING  OF   THE   MILLION 

way  that  she  should  have  her  desire,  she  felt 
certain  that  his  view  would  be  the  one  prevalent 
amongst  men  of  his  class,  and  that  he  would 
simply  give  a  respectable  little  sum  to  please 
her,  and  in  her  name,  and  that  would  be  all. 

And  then  there  was  one  other  thing  that 
troubled  her ;  an  episode  had  taken  place  re- 
cently which  had  greatly  humbled  her,  and  pro- 
vided a  reason  why  she  felt  she  could  not  greatly 
urge  her  husband  on  this  particular  question. 
Soon  after  their  marriage  her  father,  now  a 
supernumerary,  had  visited  them,  and  had  one 
day  confided  to  her  husband  certain  difficulties 
he  had  with  the  little  investments  he  had  made 
to  provide  for  the  evening  of  life.  And  her  hus- 
band told  her  when  the  old  man  had  gone  to 
bed,  that  parsons  should  never  have  anything  to 
do  with  money,  and  had  then  offered  to  under- 
take to  re-arrange  her  father's  affairs,  and  make 
such  changes  as  would  secure  a  better  return 
upon  the  investments.  She  had  eagerly  agreed, 
and  the  thing  had  been  done,  and  everything  had 
been  handed  over  to  George,  who  had  managed 
somehow  to  increase  the  permanent  return. 

This  was  now  three  years  ago,  but  recently 


A  MANCHESTER   MAN  6^ 

she  had  been  to  London  to  a  British  Women's 
Convention  or  something  of  the  sort,  and  had 
stayed  with  her  brother.  He  had  never  been 
a  favourite  of  hers,  but  one  night  he  greatly 
angered  her  by  insinuating  that  her  husband 
was  making  a  good  thing  out  of  the  "  Pater's  " 
shares. 

She  was  too  indignant  to  say  much  in  reply, 
but  she  went  home  next  day,  and  somehow  the 
nasty  innuendo  had  stuck  to  her,  and  so  after 
fighting  with  it  and  worrying  for  some  time, 
she  got  a  friend  to  find  out  what  the  shares 
were  making.  A  day  or  two  after  he  wrote  to 
her  to  say  that  she  must  be  mistaken  in  the 
name  of  the  company  she  had  referred  to,  for 
that  concern  had  gone  down  over  two  years  ago, 
and  anybody  holding  the  scrip  must  know  that 
it  was  worthless  paper. 

And  then  it  had  all  come  to  her ;  her 
husband  had  known  what  was  coming,  and  had 
made  the  proposal  upon  which  they  had  acted 
for  the  purpose  of  keeping  trouble  from  her 
and  her  parent,  and  had  paid  the  dividend  for 
two  years  at  least,  although  he  had  not  received 
a  penny. 


64  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

This  revelation  made  her  ill  for  a  day  or 
two,  and  aroused  all  kinds  of  awkward  curiosity 
on  her  husband's  part ;  she  felt  so  humbled 
about  the  matter  that  her  manner  was  un- 
consciously changed,  and  her  husband  grew 
very  suspicious  indeed.  She  could  never  tell 
him,  but  the  thought  that  he  was  doing 
this  secretly  for  love  of  her,  closed  her  lips 
effectually  on  the  question  of  the  great  Million 
Scheme. 

Still  it  would  be  an  everlasting  shame  if  the 
rich  suburban  circuit  to  which  they  belonged 
did  not  do  its  duty  ,•  she  was  just  old  enough 
to  remember  the  Thanksgiving  Fund,  and  the 
pride  she  had  taken  in  giving  the  first  half- 
guinea  she  ever  had  of  her  own  to  this  fund, 
and  she  gathered  from  his  letters  that  her  father 
was  quite  as  enthusiastic  about  this  effort  as 
he  had  been  in  the  other. 

She  knew  how  he  w^ould  be  planning  and 
scheming,  and  even  perhaps  selling  his  precious 
books  that  he  might  do  his  duty,  and  she,  his 
daughter,  married  to  a  comparatively  rich  man 
and  living  in  ease  and  luxury,  would  only  give 
a  little   more   than  he   did.     The  thought  was 


A   MANCHESTER   MAN  65 

unbearable.  Oh  !  if  only  she  knew  I'ust  how 
to  move  this  stolid  hus 

But  just  then  a  long  pair  of  arms  were  thrown 
around  her,  and  she  was  lifted  up  like  a  baby, 
whilst  a  strong,  keen  face  was  put  down  to  hers 
and  a  loud,  but  cheery  voice  exclaimed,  "  Hello  ! 
Doxey-didlums !  Which  of  those  precious 
mothers  has  pawned  her  petticoat  now  ?  " 

"  Oh !  George,  how  you  did  startle  me !  I 
didn't  hear  the  tram  stop.  No !  it  isn't  the 
mothers,  it's  nothing,"  and  she  kissed  the  brown 
moustache  that  was  put  down  to  her  face,  and 
slipped  out  of  his  grasp  and  upstairs  to  touch 
up  her  ruffled  hair  and  assume  as  bright  a  look 
as  she  could. 

As  she  served  the  tea  she  talked  about  the 
super's  nerves,  and  then  about  little  Freddy,  snug 
in  his  bed  upstairs,  and  told  in  her  vivacious 
way  all  the  young  scamp's  day's  doings,  until 
George  forgot  his  temporary  suspicions,  and 
presently  turned  away  from  the  table  and  drew 
up  to  the  fire,  with  his  favourite  briar  in  his 
mouth  and  a  comfortable  contented  look  on 
his  face. 

"  George,  what  do  you  really  think  about  this 

5 


66  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

Million  Scheme?"  and  she  leaned  back  in 
the  rocking  chair,  and  tried  to  appear  uncon- 
cerned. 

"Pah!  High  falutin' !  Cock-and-bull  idea  !  " 
and  George  put  his  slippered  feet  on  the  brass 
rail  of  the  fender,  thrust  his  little  finger  into  the 
bowl  of  his  pipe,  and  appeared  to  be  half  asleep. 

"  George  !  how  can  you  !  I  think  it's  noble,  it's 
grand  ;  I'm  proud  of  the  Church  that  could 
conceive  such  a  scheme,  whether  it  comes  to 
anything  or  not,"  and  in  her  excitement  she  rose 
to  her  feet  and  stood  leaning  her  bare,  white 
arm  upon  the  mantelpiece,  whilst  she  looked 
earnestly  down  upon  her  amused  and  indo- 
lent husband. 

Now  nothing  pleased  George  better  than  to 
get  his  wife  "  on  her  high  horse,"  as  he  called  it, 
and  so  he  sat  looking  at  her  with  twinkling 
eyes  and  most  obvious  admiration,  and  presently 
he  said,  "  My  stars,  Kitty !  but  you  would  have 
made  a  grand  parson  ;  I'll  have  you  nominated 
for  a  School-board  candidate,  blow  me  if  I  don't." 

"George,  don't  talk  slang  and  nonsense!  / 
think  the  scheme  is  a  glorious  one." 

He  made  no  reply  for  a  while,  and  evidently 


A   MANCHESTER   MAN  6^ 

thought  none  necessary,  but  Kitty  was  impatient 
and  anxious,  and  at  last  she  said  :  "  Do  talk 
sensibly,  there's  a  dear  ;  what  does  Oxley  say 
about  it  ?  " 

Oxley  was  the  circuit  steward,  and  of  course 
his  opinion  was  important. 

"  Never  heard  him  mention  it,"  was  the  de- 
pressing answer. 

"  And  what  does  Redfern  think  ?  "  (Redfern 
was  the  cx-steward,  and  a  rich  bachelor.) 

"  Oh,  he's  sure  to  go  in  for  it ;  he's  as  bad 
as  you." 

"  Did  he  say  how  much  the  circuit  ought  to 
give?" 

"  Oh,  five  hundred  pounds." 

"  Five  hundred  pounds !  the  miserable  old 
sinner  :  why,  he  ought  to  give  that  himself." 

Kitty  was  never  so  interesting  in  her  husband's 
eyes  as  when  she  was  excited,  and  now  he  was 
delighted  to  see  her  pretty  indignation,  and  so  to 
prolong  the  entertainment,  he  asked  :  "  What  do 
you  think  the  circuit  ought  to  give  ?  " 

"  Give  !  well,  the  super  thinks  we  ought  to 
raise  two  thousand  pounds,  and  that  is  the 
very  least." 


68  THE   MAKING  OF   THE   MILLION 

And  George,  with  a  burst  of  protesting, 
amazed  laughter,  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  and 
cried :  "  Hay,  what  a  world  this  would  be,  if  it 
were  ruled  by  women  and  parsons — what  would 
you  give,  Kitty,  if  you  had  it  ?  " 

"  Give  ?  "  and  Kitty  slid  absently  down  upon 
the  hassock  before  the  fire,  and  began  staring 
into  the  embers  to  assist  her  imagination. 
"  Give  ?  I'd  give  five  hundred  pounds,  that's 
what  I  would  give,  and  not  a  penny  less." 

"  Five  hundred  fiddlesticks !  Why,  Kitty 
wench,  you'd  break  a  bank ! " 

It  was  a  sure  sign  that  George  was  more 
interested  than  he  seemed  when  he  dropped 
into  dialect,  and  so  his  wife  glanced  sharply  at 
him,  and  was  just  going  to  pin  him  with  a  very 
straight  question,  when  he  said  :  "  What  should 
you  give  five  hundred  pounds  for  ?  " 

"  What  for  ?     Oh,  for  a  hundred  reasons." 

"  Well,  what,  for  instance  ?  " 

Kitty  settled  herself  down  upon  the  hassock, 
and  after  a  moment's  meditation  she  began  : 
"  Well,  I've  the  noblest  old  father  in  the  world, 
and  at  this  very  minute  he's  cudgelling  his  worn 
old  brains  to  find  out  what  he  shall  give   and 


A  MANCHESTER   MAN  69 

where    he    shall   get  it— I'd    give    a    hundred 
pounds  for  him." 

"  Humph  ! " 

"  And  I  was  educated  by  Methodism,  and  in 
all  our  circuits  we  received  from  the  dear  good 
people  kindness  upon  kindness,  that  makes  me 
cry  when  I  think  of  it — I'd  give  a  hundred 
pounds  for  that." 

"  Bosh  !  " 

"And  there's  a  curly-headed  little  rascal 
upstairs,  who  came  as  a  Christmas  box  two  years 
ago — I'd  give  a  hundred,  yes,  many  a  hundred 
for  him." 

George  burst  into  an  ironical  laugh,  but  even 
Kitty  could  see  that  it  was  only  to  conceal  some 
very  different  emotion.  "Fire  away,  Kitty; 
you're  doing  grandly." 

But  Kitty  couldn't  go  on  just  then  ;  she 
looked  very  earnestly  into  the  fire,  and  then  fell 
slowly  forward  and  dropped  her  fair  face  against 
her  husband's  knee,  but  she  never  spoke,  and 
George  was  not  sure  that  she  could  just  then. 
"  Go  on,  madcap ;  don't  half  do  it  now  you've 
started." 

If  her  husband  could  have  seen  her  face  he 


70  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

would  have  hesitated  to  press  her,  but  he  could 
not ;  so  presently,  after  another  prompting  from 
him,  she  moved  a  little,  and  then,  beginning  to 
speak  very  fast,  she  stammered  :  "  I'd  give  all  the 
rest  and — and  a  thousand  times  more  for  the 
best  and  most — most  tormenting  husband  that 
ever  was." 

And  George  got  hurriedly  up  and  left  the  room. 

Now,  there  was  a  sort  of  Freemasonry 
amongst  the  officials  of  the  circuit,  and  they 
generally  arrived  at  agreements  as  to  what  they 
should  do  or  give  on  occasions  like  the  present, 
either  in  one  of  their  smoke-rooms  or  in  the 
train  as  they  went  to  town  in  the  morning 
Two  or  three  of  them  came  in  that  same  night 
and  stayed  later  than  usual,  and  from  what 
Kitty  could  gather  from  her  reticent  husband, 
the  figure  for  the  circuit  seemed  likely  to  be 
fixed  at  ;^i,500. 

Next  night  at  the  committee  meeting  that 
sum,  to  the  distress  of  the  super,  was  agreed 
upon,  and  when  he  called  upon  his  infallible 
comforter,  Mrs.  Harwood,  he  had  a  doleful  tale 
to  tell,  and  was  altogether  out  of  heart  about 
the  matter. 


A   MANCHESTER   MAN  7 1 

And  Kitty,  though  she  felt  somehow  more 
hopeful  after  her  talk  with  her  husband,  could 
not  say  anything  to  relieve  his  mind,  and  so 
when  -he  had  gone  and  her  heart  was  pitying 
him  and  thinking  of  her  father's  troubles  ot 
a  similar  kind  in  days  gone  by,  a  little  idea 
struck  her,  and  on  the  Sunday  evening  she 
asked  two  or  three  of  her  husband's  closest 
friends  in  to  supper,  and  as  soon  as  she  had 
set  them  going  at  the  table  she  opened  out  upon 
them,  and  her  husband  listened  with  his  mis- 
chievous eyes  dancing  with  enjoyment  as  she 
tried  to  make  them  feel  ashamed  of  themselves. 
But  next  day  George  told  her  that  the  men 
had  greatly  enjoyed  her  preaching  and  his 
cigars,  and  were  prepared  to  come  as  often  as 
she  liked  to  invite  them.  Oh,  the  hardness  of 
these  Manchester  men  ! 

Her  last  hope  was  in  the  great  meeting  ;  if 
only  she  could  get  them  there,  and  her  husband 
too,  in  the  enthusiasm  of  that  grand  gathering 
surely  they  would  be  moved  to  do  something 
worthy  of  them.  But  George,  when  she  sug- 
gested that  of  course  he  was  going,  pooh-poohed 
the  idea ;  though,  as  he  generally  did  this  and 


72  THE   MAKING  OF   THE   MILLION 

went  after  all,  she  still  hoped  against  hope. 
The  worst  of  her,  George  said,  was  that  she 
generally  "went  the  whole  hog"  with  a  thing 
when  she  once  got  started,  and  let  things  get 
on  her  crazy  little  brain ;  but  when  he  was 
going  out  in  the  morning  of  the  day  of  the 
meeting  he  half  promised  to  meet  her  at  the 
door  of  the  Central  Hall. 

All  the  forenoon  she  was  out  visiting  her 
lady  friends,  and  trying  to  get  them  to  feel  as 
she  did  and  influence  their  husbands.  And 
then  as  soon  as  lunch  was  over,  as  luck  would 
have  it,  one  of  her  intolerable  but  imperious 
headaches  came  on  and  in  a  few  minutes  she 
realised  but  too  surely  that  there  would  be  no 
meeting  for  her  that  night. 

This,  of  course,  made  her  worse,  and  as  she 
lay  on  her  couch  half-dead  with  paralysing  pain, 
she  sent  her  servant  to  the  telephone  to  tell 
George  and  urge  him  to  go  to  the  meeting. 
This  brought  him  home  earlier  than  usual,  and 
he  seemed  quite  angry  with  her  for  putting 
herself  out,  and  declared  in  quite  a  snappy 
way  that  the  "  confounded  Million  Scheme  was 
not  worth  it."     By  this,  of  course,  she  saw  how 


A   MANCHESTER  MAN  73 

little  he  really  cared  for  the  thing,  and  she 
was  so  prostrate  that  she  could  not  even  bear 
the  efifort  of  trying  to  persuade  him  to  go  to 
the  meeting. 

It  was  a  long,  dreary  evening,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  this  matter-of-fact  and  worldly  husband 
of  hers  proved  a  delightful  nurse,  and  though 
later  on  the  pain  abated  somewhat,  she  felt 
so  languid  and  disappointed  that  she  was  be- 
ginning to  think  of  going  to  rest,  when  the 
door-bell  rang,  and  in  came  the  super  from  the 
great  gathering. 

"  Well,  how  have  you  got  on  ? "  she  cried 
eagerly,  lifting  her  head  from  her  cushion,  still 
covered  though  it  was  with  whisky  cloths. 

"  Oh,  splendidly !  magnificently  !  I  shall  not 
sleep  to-night ;  but  you  are  ill,  Mrs.  Harwood." 

Kitty  waved  her  hand  impatiently  to  check 
his  sympathies,  and  cried  :  "Tell  us  all  about  it" 

Nothing  loth,  the  minister  launched  forth  into 
an  animated  description  of  the  meeting,  and 
finished  by  quoting  the  sums  promised  by  the 
various  circuits. 

"And  we  promised  i^i,5oo,"  said  Kitty,  with 
a  mournful,  half-contemptuous  sigh. 


74  THE   MAKING  OF   THE   MILLION 

And  that's  more  than  we  shall  ever  raise," 
began  George,  but  the  super  interrupted. 

"  No  !  No  !  We  !  We  came  out  grandly  : 
but  I  forgot,  you  don't  know,  do  you?  The 
oddest  thing ; "  and  he  began  to  fumble  in  his 
pockets  and  brought  out  a  bit  of  paper. 

"What?  what  was  it?"  and  Kitty  half  rose 
from  her  couch  in  her  eagerness. 

"  Well !  the  funniest  thing  !  I  feel  rather 
shaky  about  it,  but  I  was  excited  and  promised." 

"  Go  on  !     Do  go  on  ! " 

"Just  as  I  was  going  into  the  hall  a  fellow, 
a  clerk  or  something,  stopped  me  and  asked  my 
name.  When  I  told  him  he  gave  me  this  note, 
and  when  I  got  upon  the  platform  I  opened  it, 
and  what  do  you  think  was  in  it  ?  " 

"  Don't  know.     Oh,  do  go  on  !  " 

"  The  note  is  there  ;  it  is  on  plain  paper  and 
type-written,  so  that  nobody  can  guess  who 
sent  it,  and  it  just  says : 

" '  Please  increase  the  amount  promised  by  your 
circuit  by  ;^i,ooo.  You  will  receive  a  cheque  for 
the  amount  in  a  few  days. — Yours  sincerely, 

"'A  Member.'" 


A   MANCHESTER   MAN  75 

Kitty  snatched  the  note  hastily  from  the 
super's  hand,  and  read  and  re-read  it,  but  there 
was  nothing  more  to  be  learnt.  "  Whoever  can 
it  be  ?  "  she  gasped. 

"  I  haven't  the  least  idea,"  said  the  super.  "  I 
was  dazed,  and  am  yet,  about  it,  for  that  matter  ; 
but  I  promised,  whatever  the  result  may  be. 
Ah,  whom  do  you  think  it  will  be,  Mr. 
Harwood  ?  " 

George  was  sitting  looking  meditatively  into 
the  fire.  "  Some  old  washerwoman  or  other, 
with  more  brass  than  brains." 

But  somehow  his  manner  was  not  quite  as 
natural  as  he  wished  it  to  be,  for  his  wife  lifted 
her  head  and  looked  sharply  at  him  across  the 
room,  and  as  he  turned  his  eyes  away  she 
jumped  up  and  rushed  at  him.  "  George,"  she 
cried,  pushing  him  back,  so  that  she  could  see 
his  eyes,  "  look  at  me." 

"Bless  me,  the  woman's  dotty!"  cried 
George  ;  but  though  he  lifted  his  head,  his  eyes 
sought  the  ornaments  on  the  mantelpiece. 

"  Now  then  !  Look  at  me  !  Let  me  see  your 
eyes,"  cried  Kitty,  and  as  at  last  he  turned  them 
to  her,  she  said  triumphantly  :  "  It  is  !  it  is  I    Mr 


76  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

Frost,  it  is  George!  Oh,  you  dear,  kind, 
naughty,  teasing  man,  it's  you,  and  it  is  like 
you  !  I'd  love  you  more  than  ever — if  I  could," 
and  she  kissed  him  again  and  again. 

An  hour  later,  as  the  super  left,  George  saw 
him  to  the  door,  and  in  his  gruffest  manner 
insisted  that  the  thing  should  never  be  known. 

Next  morning  the  contractor  occupants  of 
the  8.41  first  smoking  to  town  decided  that  the 
super  had  lost  his  head  at  the  meeting  on  the 
previous  night,  and  would  find  himself  "in  a 
hole"  before  long,  and  George  quite  agreed 
with  them. 


THE  BLANK  LINE 


77 


IV 

THE   BLANK   LINE 

EVERYBODY  who  knew  anything  about 
the  case  agreed  with  absolute  and 
emphatic  unanimity,  that  there  never  was  such 
a  body  of  trustees  as  that  which  built  the 
Floxton  Common  new  chapel. 

The  super  said  so,  and  the  tightening  of  his 
thin  lips  and  the  projection  of  his  strong,  clean 
jaw  as  he  made  the  declaration  left  nothing 
to  be  desired  in  the  way  of  uncompromising 
statement. 

The  resident  minister  said  so,  and  as  he 
had  taken  part  in  trustees'  meetings,  committee 
meetings,  sub-committees  and  the  like  almost 
every  other  night  for  the  last  eighteen  months, 
surely  his  evidence  is  uncontrovertible. 

The  trustees  said  so  themselves,  and  inasmuch 

79 


80  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

as  several  of  them  had  almost  lived  on  the 
premises  during  the  all-absorbing  erection,  and 
had  been  threatened  by  their  respective  wives 
with  separation  applications,  divorce  pro- 
ceedings, etc.,  to  say  nothing  of  such  everyday 
suggestions  as  those  of  sending  them  their 
beds  and  meals  to  the  premises,  it  must  be 
admitted  that  they  had  a  right  to  an  opinion 
on  the  subject.  But  even  people  who  only 
came  into  occasional  contact  with  them  got 
the  same  impression. 

The  architect  declared  solemnly,  that  he  had 
never  served  so  extraordinary  a  body  of  men 
during  the  whole  course  of  his  professional 
career,  and  he  added  when  he  got  into  safe 
company  that  he  hoped  he  never  should 
again. 

The  Manchester  committee  people  shook 
their  wise  heads  at  the  very  mention  of  Floxton 
Common,  and  gave  vent  to  sighs  expressive 
of  unspeakable  feelings,  and  even  the  Presiden 
of  the  Conference  when  he  went  to  open  the 
chapel  said  they  were  the  most  extraordinary 
body  of  men  he  had  ever  met. 

The  super   said   that  nothing   surprised  him 


THE  BLANK  LINE  8 1 

SO  much  about  these  "  Brethren "  as  their 
automatic  unanimity — except  it  was  their 
chronic  disagreement.  Against  the  architect, 
the  super,  the  "  red-tapeism  "  of  the  Manchester 
Committee,  they  were  a  solid  unit,  but  amongst 
themselves  they  did  not  agree,  even  about  the 
most  trivial  things.  At  every  one  of  their 
innumerable  meetings  some  one  either  resigned 
or  consented  to  withdraw  a  previous  resignation, 
and  nearly  every  man  on  the  board  had  de- 
clared at  one  time  or  other  that  nothing  should 
ever  induce  him  to  go  near  the  place  again. 

Brother  Bottoms  had  withdrawn  on  the  sites 
question,  and  Brother  Taubman  on  the  selection 
of  the  architect,  whilst  Brother  Eli  Waites, 
who  was  disgusted  with  the  "  baby  work "  of 
the  two  gentlemen  mentioned,  sent  in  his 
resignation  and  even  withdrew  his  subscription 
when  it  came  to  a  spire. 

The  youngest  trustee,  a  mere  upstart  of 
forty,  caused  two  meetings  and  two  adjourn- 
ments about  the  position  of  the  pulpit,  which 
he  insisted  should  be  at  the  right  corner  of 
the  chancel  arch  as  appointed  by  the  architect, 
and  of  course  resigned  when  the  older  members 

6 


82  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

of  the  meeting  on  anti-ritualistic  grounds  in- 
sisted on  its  being  placed  in  the  middle  ;  and 
they  in  their  turn  threatened  to  leave  if  the 
entrance,  which  in  the  old  chapel  had  always 
been  called  the  porch,  was  christened  the 
"  Narthex." 

The  young  minister  of  the  circuit,  who  was  a 
probationer  fresh  from  college,  was  considerably 
exercised  by  the  irreconcilable  inconsistencies 
which  he  detected  in  these  good  men,  for  as  he 
went  about  his  work  he  was  compelled  to  hear 
all  about  these  points  of  difference,  and  when 
the  last  touches  were  being  put  upon  the  build- 
ing and  it  was  being  got  ready  for  the  opening 
services,  he  was  amazed  to  discover  the  men 
who  had  objected  so  strenuously  to  spire  or 
pulpit  or  narthex  taking  their  friends  round  and 
showing  these  particular  things  as  the  specialities 
of  the  new  sanctuary,  and  even  in  one  or  two 
cases  seeming  to  wish  to  convey  the  idea  that 
they  were  the  original  suggesters  of  these 
eatures  ;  at  any  rate  they  seemed  to  be  the 
things  they  were  most  proud  of,  and  took  the 
greatest  delight  in  exhibiting. 

But  after  all  it  was  a  noble  thing  these  people 


THE   BLANK  LINE  83 

had  done ;  they  were  not  a  rich  Church  nor 
a  very  numerous  one,  yet  they  had  by  hard  work 
and  wonderful  self-sacrifice  built  a  beautiful 
edifice  at  a  cost  of  nearly  £7,000,  which  they 
intended  to  open  free  of  debt,  and  the  super,  in 
spite  of  his  many  troubles  with  them,  was  full  of 
admiration  for  the  way  they  had  acted,  and  was 
prompted  to  say,  as  he  had  often  done  before, 
that  there  were  no  people  like  the  Methodists 
after  all. 

And  just  at  the  time  when  they  thought  they 
had  got  through  all  their  trials,  they  were 
plunged  into  one  that  was  worse  than  any  they 
had  come  through.  When  the  day  came  for  se- 
lecting the  places  they  would  occupy  in  the  new 
building,  it  turned  out  that  there  were  two  appli- 
cants for  one  pew — the  back  pew  in  the  chapel. 

Old  Mr.  Bottoms  had  sat  in  the  back  pew  in 
the  old  chapel,  and  thought  he  ought  to  have 
the  same  place  in  the  new  one,  and  James 
Higson,  who  had  a  delicate  wife  who  sometimes 
wanted  to  go  out  before  the  service  was  con- 
cluded, had  set  his  heart  upon  it,  and  had  stated 
twenty  times  over,  he  declared,  that  be  should 
want  that  particular  seat. 


84  THE   MAKING  OF   THE   MILLION 

The  trustees  might  have  settled  the  matter 
in  their  boisterous  way  if  left  to  themselves,  but 
unfortunately  Barbara,  old  Bottoms'  daughter,  a 
female  of  a  certain  age,  and  an  old  flame  of 
Higson's,  took  up  the  cudgels  for  what  she 
called  their  "rights,"  and  attacked  Higson,  who 
was  chapel  steward,  before  strangers,  as  he 
was  arranging  with  other  pew-holders  for  their 
seats. 

Eventually  the  matter  came  before  the 
trustees,  and  after  the  usual  long  wrangle,  was 
decided  against  Higson.  As  soon  as  the  de- 
cision was  announced,  he  rose  to  his  feet,  took 
up  his  hat,  bowed  with  mock  ceremoniousness  to 
the  chairman  and  then  to  the  meeting,  and 
walked  out  of  the  room. 

One  or  two  went  after  him  and  did  not 
return.  Those  who  remained  behind  took  no 
further  interest  in  the  business,  and  when  a  few 
minutes  later  the  super  and  his  colleague  called 
at  Higson's  he  refused  to  see  them,  and  next 
day  sent  all  his  books  in,  and  signified  that  he 
had  done  with  the  Wesleyans  once  for  all  and 
for  ever. 

The  super,  though  not  given  much  to  senti- 


THE   BLANK   LINE  85 

ment,  was  quite  touched  to  see  the  distress  of 
the  trustees  when  they  found  that  Higson's 
defection  was  serious  and  apparently  final  ;  they 
refused  even  to  discuss  the  question  of  filling 
his  offices,  and  old  Bottoms,  in  spite  of  terrible 
threats  from  his  aggressive  daughter,  sent  at 
least  two  notes  to  Holly  Villa,  where  Higson 
lived,  to  ask  him  to  take  the  pew  he  wanted. 
But  all  was  in  vain. 

As  the  great  day  of  the  opening  drew  near 
all  sorts  of  clumsy  attempts  were  made  to  bring 
about  a  reconciliation,  and  Billy  Clipston,  the 
shoemaker,  declared  again  and  again  that  when 
the  time  came  Higson  would  not  be  able  to  stay 
away,  but  would  turn  up  "  as  sure  as  heggs  is 
heggs." 

But  the  day  came  and  went,  and  the  offended 
one  did  not  appear,  and  the  super  heard  in  the 
vestry  and  in  the  aisles  of  the  chapel  a  great 
deal  more  about  the  absent  man's  many  past 
services  than  he  heard  about  the  event  they 
were  actually  celebrating.  They  told  of  what 
he  had  endured  for  the  sake  of  the  good  cause, 
and  altogether  the  Mat  of  one  of  the  greatest 
days    in    the    history    of    Floxton     Common 


86  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

Methodism  was  spoilt  by  the  constant  lamenta- 
tions of  the  chief  men  about  the  place  because 
their  old  fellow-worker  had  not  taken  part 
The  opening  services  were  continued  for  three 
Sundays,  and  it  was  confidently  prophesied  by 
Billy  and  others  that  Higson  would  never  be  able 
to  hold  out  to  the  end. 

But  he  did  ;  and  when  they  sang  the  final 
doxology  at  the  last  of  the  opening  services, 
because  it  was  not  only  opened,  but  free  from 
debt,  two  or  three  of  them  told  their  minister 
afterwards  that  they  had  not  enjoyed  their  great 
victory  at  all,  and  would  rather  have  a  thousand 
pounds  debt  with  Higson  than  all  the  triumph 
of  the  day  without  him. 

Well,  at  any  rate  it  was  a  notable  achieve- 
ment, and  the  super  was  more  than  pleased  with 
the  noble  way  in  which  the  people  had  carried 
out  and  finished  their  great  undertaking. 

And  then  something  else  began  to  trouble 
him.  He  had  said  as  little  as  possible  about 
the  great  Million  Scheme  whilst  the  good 
folk  of  Floxton  Common  were  straining  every 
nerve  and  almost  punishing  themselves  to  clear 
their   chapel,   and  now  it  seemed   exceedingly 


THE   BLANK   LINE  87 

hard  upon  them  to  ask  them  to  look  at  another 
effort.  But  circumstances  left  him  no  option  ; 
he  had  already  made  a  definite  promise  of 
;^2,ooo  for  the  circuit ;  they  had  held  the 
meeting  at  the  circuit  chapel,  and  the  con- 
tributions had  somewhat  disappointed  him,  so 
that  there  was  now  nothing  for  it  but  to  have 
the  meeting  as  soon  as  possible  at  "  The 
Common."  He  was  almost  ashamed  to  name 
the  matter  to  them,  but  to  his  surprise  the 
good  folk  expressed  a  great  interest  in  the 
scheme,  and  were  not  at  all  inclined  to  shuffle 
it.  In  fact,  as  old  Bottoms  said  in  his  sen- 
tentious way  :  "  We've  gotten  a  grand  chap — 
church,  Mester  Shuper,  an'  we  mun  show  az 
we  appreciate  it,  sir." 

This  was  at  the  final  trustees'  meeting  when 
the  accounts  had  been  presented,  and  the  votes 
of  thanks  given  to  those  who  had  borne  the 
lion's  share  of  the  burden,  a  special  resolution 
being  sent  to  Higson.  After  all  the  regular 
business  had  been  concluded,  the  super  in  a 
regretful,  almost  apologetic  way,  introduced 
the  thing  that  was  just  then  resting  somewhat 
heavily  upon   his    mind.     Yes,   they  would   go 


88  THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

into  the  subject  at  once,  as  far  as  unofficial 
suggestions  were  concerned  at  any  rate.  Names 
were  mentioned  of  those  who  would  make  the 
most  effective  officers  for  the  local  fund,  and  a 
time  was  fixed  for  the  holding  of  the  meeting. 

And  then  Blamires,  the  youngest  trustee, 
had  an  inspiration,  and  suggested  that  as  they 
had  all  worked  together  so  harmoniously  in  this 
grand  chapel  building  effort,  and  were  all  so 
proud  of  the  finished  work,  they  should  have 
their  names  down  on  the  roll  together  in  the 
same  order  as  they  came  in  the  trust  deed. 
Coming  from  this  juvenile  and  impetuous  source 
the  proposition  was  received  with  hesitation, 
but  presently  it  seemed  to  catch  their  imagin- 
ations, and  they  insisted  upon  its  being  so. 

The  super,  whose  chief  anxiety  had  been  the 
fear  that  they  would  resent  being  appealed  to 
again  so  soon,  was  only  too  glad  to  acquiesce, 
and  so  the  meeting  adjourned  for  a  couple  of 
days  to  enable  the  super  to  bring  the  roll  that 
they  might  all  sign  it  in  order  as  agreed  upon. 

Just  as  they  were  leaving  the  vestry,  old 
Bottoms  made  a  loud  exclamation  of  dismay, 
and  then  rising  to  his  feet,  for  he  was  still  sitting 


THE   BLANK  LINE  89 

at  the  far  end  of  the  room,  he  said  mournfully : 
"There's  one  thing  az  you've  forgot,  Mester 
Shuper." 

«  Indeed  !  What's  that.  Brother  Bottoms  ?  " 
and  the  super  stepped  up  to  the  table. 

"  There'll  be  one  name  missing." 

Everybody  looked  suddenly  very  sober,  little 
sighs  escaped  them,  and  they  glanced  at  each 
other  in  sorrow  and  disappointment.  But  the 
super's  train  was  due,  and  so  he  was  compelled 
to  ask  them  to  think  the  matter  over  until  the 
adjourned  meeting  should  be  held. 

There  was  much  debate  and  questioning 
amongst  the  trustees  about  what  should  be 
done  in  this  difficulty.  The  more  they  thought 
of  it,  the  more  they  liked  the  idea  of  all  signing 
together,  but  the  less  likelihood  did  they  see  of 
getting  the  missing  signature.  Moreover,  it  oc- 
curred to  one  of  them  that  it  would  look  a  very 
mean  sort  of  thing  to  try  and  get  Higson  back, 
iust  in  order  to  get  his  subscription  to  the 
Million  Scheme,  and  so  nobody  could  suggest 
any  way  out  of  the  difficulty,  and  the  super 
could  not  help  them. 

The  minister  had  informed  them  that  as  they 


90  THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

would  all  give  more  than  the  minimum  amount, 
there  was  no  reason  why  their  names  should  not 
head  the  list  of  the  Floxton  Common  contribu- 
tions, though  nobody  had  as  yet  named  the 
sum  he  was  intending  to  give,  that  being  re- 
served for  the  great  meeting  in  the  church. 

It  took  them  half  an  hour,  however,  to  make 
up  their  minds  to  enrol  themselves  in  the 
absence  of  their  estranged  colleague,  and  at  last 
it  was  decided  that  a  line  should  be  left  blank 
for  Higson  in  the  hope  that  something  might 
occur  in  the  meantime  to  bring  the  wanderer 
back.  Young  Blamires  signed  readily,  but  old 
Bottoms,  who  was  next,  hesitated  considerably, 
and  then  at  last  put  down  his  pen,  and  in  a 
tearful  voice  faltered  :  "  I'll  gi'  me  money,  bud  I 
don't  want  to  be  on  if  he  isn't." 

Whilst  the  old  man  was  recovering  himsell 
and  getting  persuaded  to  do  his  part,  the  next 
man  signed,  and  then  the  old  fellow  tremblingly 
followed.  The  next  in  order  was  Higson,  and 
a  blank  space  had  to  be  left,  and  hard  though 
it  had  been  to  sign  before,  it  was  much  harder 
now  with  that  blank  line  staring  them  in  the 
face. 


THE  BLANK  LINE  9I 

The  super  went  home  that  night  in  a  brown 
study ;  whatever  could  he  do  to  reach  Higson  ? 
for  he  felt  that  this  effort  would  be  shorn  of 
nearly  all  its  sweetness  to  the  good  people  if 
Higson's  name  were  not  on  the  list,  and  they 
had  really  done  so  nobly  that  he  coveted  the 
pleasure  of  this  reconciliation.  And  he  got  up 
next  morning  with  the  same  feeling  in  his  mind. 

It  took  him  an  hour  or  so  to  dispose  of  his 
correspondence,  but  when  that  was  done  he 
drew  the  precious  roll  out  of  his  safe  and  began 
to  look  once  more  at  the  names  that  had  been 
signed  the  night  before.  In  a  moment  or  two 
it  dawned  upon  him  that  that  blank  line  looked 
very  awkward  indeed,  and  if  it  were  not  filled 
up  it  would  be  more  eloquent  than  all  the 
names  that  went  before  or  canie  after.  What 
a  mistake  he  had  made  in  allowing  those 
whimsical  trustees  to  have  their  fad.  It  would, 
perhaps,  be  the  only  blank  line  in  the  whole 
roll,  and  how  strange  it  would  look.  Besides, 
he  had  a  reputation  for  neatness  and  orderliness, 
and  that  would  be  there  as  a  witness  against 
him  for  ever. 

The  thing   bothered  him    and  then  annoyed 


92  THE   MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

him,  and  he  was  just  sitting  down  in  a  sort 
of  pet  with  himself  when  a  blessed  thought 
occurred  to  him.  It  was  not  absolutely  necessary 
that  a  contributor  should  sign  his  own  name 
He  liked  Higson,  and  greatly  valued  him,  both 
for  his  work  and  himself.  He  would  keep  his 
own  counsel,  and  if  nothing  occurred  to  change 
the  state  of  afifairs,  he  would  write  Higson's 
name  in  himself  and  subscribe  the  extra  guinea. 
He  had  a  large  family,  and  every  shilling 
counted  with  him,  but  he  would  do  that,  what- 
ever he  had  to  sacrifice  in  other  ways.  The 
super  was  pleased  with  the  idea,  and  pleased 
with  himself  for  thinking  of  it,  and  he  was  just 
laughing  at  his  own  self-complacency,  when  a 
knock  came  at  the  study  door  and  Brother 
Bottoms  was  announced. 

The  senior  trustee  shambled  into  the  room 
in  his  characteristic  manner,  and  shook  hands 
limply  with  his  ecclesiastical  superior. 

He  took  off  his  hat  and  placed  it  shyly  on 
the  floor  by  the  side  of  his  chair,  and  then, 
taking  a  red  pocket-handkerchief  out  of  the 
tail  pocket  of  his  antique  black  coat,  he  com- 
menced :  "  I  thought  I  would  just  call  and  pay 


THE   BLANK  LINE  93 

my  Home  Mission  Fund  collection,  sir,"  and  he 
fumbled  in  his  pocket  and  produced  a  little 
wash-leather  bag,  from  which  he  drew  two  half- 
crowns,  which  he  placed  in  the  minister's  hand. 

The  super  reached  out  a  report,  which  serves 
in  these  cases  as  a  receipt,  and  handed  it  to  his 
visitor,  wondering  what  was  the  old  fellow's  real 
reason  for  calling.  Bottoms  took  the  report 
without  glancing  at  it,  and  then  began  to 
discuss  the  weather.  The  subject  provided  an 
interesting  topic  for  a  minute  or  two,  for 
atmospheric  conditions  were  just  then  very- 
trying,  and  then  there  was  an  awkward  pause. 

"  I  see  you've  got  the  great  roll  there,  Mr. 
Shuper,"  said  Bottoms  after  a  while,  and  he 
glanced  round  as  though  he  would  like  to  look 
at  it. 

The  super  opened  it  upon  the  desk,  and  the 
old  man  got  up  and  carefully  examined  it 
inside  and  out.  "  H-u-m  !  Ha  !  wonderful 
dockyment,  Mester  Shuper.  Wc  must  all  have 
our  names  in  that,"  and  the  minister  noted  that 
his  visitor  was  looking  very  dreely  at  the  blank 
space  where  Higson's  signature  should  have 
been.      He    seemed   to    have    nothing   further 


94  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

to  say,  however,   and  in  a   few  moments  rose 
to  go. 

"  Well,  good  morning,  sir,  and  thank  you  ;  I 
hope  you  will  get  all  the  names  you  want,"  and 
then,  just  as  he  was  going  out  of  the  door, 
"  Oh !  beg  pardon,"  and  he  came  back  and 
drew  out  the  wash-leather  bag  again.  It  took 
him  some  time  to  find  what  he  wanted,  but 
presently  he  pushed  a  sovereign  and  a  shilling 
into  the  super's  palm,  saying  as  he  did  so : 
"  Just  put  Higson's  name  down  there,  sir  ;  we 
can't  have  him  off,  you  know,"  and  before  the 
minister  could  stop  him  he  was  gone. 

The  super  was  a  little  nonplussed  and  dis- 
appointed ;  but  Bottoms  was  better  off  than  he 
was,  and — well,  they  might  make  it  two  guineas 
perhaps.  The  same  afternoon  as  he  was  going 
to  his  class  he  heard  some  one  calling  after  him 
and  turning  round  saw  Waites,  the  corn  factor 
hastening  towards  him. 

Waites  was  always  in  a  hurry,  and  on  this 
occasion  he  appeared  more  than  usually  so. 
"  Here,  Mr.  Super,  take  that.  It's  a  fiver ;  put 
it  into  that  fund  and  drop  Higson's  name  in, 
will  you  ?     Ah,  here's  the  tram.     Good  day,  sir." 


THE  BLANK  LINE  95 

The  super  was  amused  and  touched  ;  it  began 
to  dawn  upon  him  that  Higson's  contribution 
promised  to  be  a  pretty  large  one,  if  things  went 
on  like  this,  and  when  he  got  home  that  night 
another  of  the  trustees  was  waiting  for  him. 
This  man  seemed  to  be  entirely  unable  to  tell 
what  he  had  come  about,  but  at  last  he  blurted 
out: 

"  Mr.  Super,  I've  come  about  Higson  and 
that  roll.  He  must  be  on,  sir,  he  must ;  he's 
done  more  for  Methodism  in  this  place  than 
any  other  three  of  us,  and  his  family  is  the 
oldest  in  the  circuit.  Why,  his  grandfather 
was  at  the  opening  of  the  first  Methodist  chapel 
there  ever  was  in  the  Common." 

But  the  super  intended  to  keep  his  secret 
at  least  for  the  present,  and  so  he  said  :  "  Yes, 
but  we  can't  make  the  man  contribute,  you 
know." 

"  No,  but  we  can  do  it  for  him,  and  we  will  ! 
I  will!  Me?  Why,  sir,  he  got  me  the  first 
situation  I  ever  had.  He  led  me  to  the  penitent 
form,  he  helped  me  to  get  my  wife.  .He's 
injured  his  business  to  look  after  that  chapel. 
He  must  be  on,  whoever  else  is." 


96  THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

"  Well,  but  how  are  we  to  manage  it  ?  We've 
tried  everything  we  could  think  of." 

"  Manage  it !  We  must  manage  it.  Look 
here,  sir !     I'll  pay  his  share  myself." 

"  But  I've  already  got  a  guinea  for  him 
and " 

"  A  guinea !  A  guinea  for  the  best  man 
among  us  !  Why,  sir,  it  would  be  a  sin  and  a 
shame  for  Higson's  name  to  only  represent 
a  guinea.  Look  here,  sir,  it  must  be  twenty 
at  least !     Yes,  twenty  !  and  I'll  find  it  myself" 

When  he  had  gone  the  super  told  his  wife, 
and  she  put  on  an  air  of  confidence  which  was 
always  rather  aggravating  to  her  husband,  and 
said  :  "  Neither  your  money  nor  anybody  else's 
will  be  needed  Higson  will  put  his  own  name 
in,  you'll  see." 

At  last  the  time  for  the  holding  of  the  Floxton 
Common  meeting  came,  and  the  super  told 
his  colleagues  that  they  must  not  be  dis- 
appointed if  the  results  were  not  what  they 
might  expect,  as  the  "  Common "  people  had 
really  done  so  well  that  they  couldn't  do  much 
more,  however  good  their  intentions. 

As  he  had  prophesied,  the  meeting  was  not 


THE   BLANK  LINE  97 

largely  attended,  and  even  he  felt  depressed  as 
he  noticed  how  few  there  were  there  who  could 
give  much.  The  chairman  was  a  "  Common  " 
man,  and  started  the  meeting  with  a  rousing, 
confident  speech,  which  he  crowned  with  a 
promise  of  fifty  pounds. 

The  super  stared  from  the  speaker  to  his 
colleagues  in  amazement  as  the  sum  was  named  ; 
it  was  three  "times  the  amount  he  had  expected. 
Then  the  resident  minister  spoke,  and  promised 
an  outrageously  extravagant  sum  for  himself 
and  wife  and  little  ones.  Then  there  was  a 
pause,  and  presently  old  Bottoms  rose  to  his 
feet.  He  had  a  mournful,  melancholy  tone  with 
him,  and  always  spoke  at  great  length,  but  at 
last  he  announced  that  as  the  Lord  had  been 
so  good  to  them  in  the  chapel  scheme,  he  could 
not  give  less  than  a  hundred  pounds. 

The  meeting  applauded  this  to  the  echo,  for 
Bottoms  had  a  reputation  for  nearness.  Then 
two  or  three  more  followed  in  a  similar  strain, 
until  the  poor  super,  scarcely  knowing  where 
he  was,  felt  his  eyes  growing  dim,  and  had  to 
blow  his  nose.  Then  they  sang  a  hymn,  and 
were  just  sitting   down   again,  when   the  man 

7 


98  THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

who  was  acting  as  temporary  chapel  steward 
suddenly  opened  the  inner  door  and  threw  up 
his  arms  with  a  gesture  of  wondering  triumph, 
and  the  next  moment  who  should  walk  into 
the  chapel  but  Higson. 

He  was  a  short,  ruddy  man,  and  now  looked 
redder  than  ever.  He  held  his  hat  in  his  hand 
and  gazed  wonderingly  about  the  chapel,  which 
he  had  never  seen  since  it  was  finished,  and 
walked  staggeringly  up  towards  the  front. 
Presently  he  stopped,  his  hat  dropped  out  of 
his  hand,  and  he  lifted  a  red,  agitated  face 
towards  the  platform  and  cried  : 

"  I  had  to  come,  Mr.  Super,  I  had  to  come  ! 
I've  been  the  wretchedest  man  in  Floxton  parish 
this  last  two  months,  but  I  couldn't  miss  this 
My  father  laid  the  foundation  stone  of  the  last 
chapel,  and  my  grandfather  was  the  first  trustee 
of  the  oldest  chapel  of  all.  Everything  I  have 
I  owe  to  this  Church,  and  my  own  bairns  have 
been  converted  here.  I've  heard  what  you  are 
thinking  of  doing  with,  my  name,  and  that 
brought  me  here  to-night,  that  killed  my  pride. 
God  forgive  me.  Put  me  down  for  a  hundred 
ptunds,  Mr.  Super,  if  I'm  not  too  bad,  and  I'll 


THE  BLANK  LINE  99 

sit  in  the  free  seats  if  you'll  let  me  come 
again." 

The  meeting  was  some  time  before  it  got 
composed,  and  then  the  subscriptions  began  to 
roll  in  faster  than  ever. 

That  night,  after  Higson  had  been  down  to 
the  manse  and  signed  the  roll,  the  super 
repeated  once  more  his  old  saying,  that  the 
Floxton  people  were  the  strangest  people  he 
had  ever  travelled  amongst,  but  this  time  he 
added,  "  and  the  best." 


A  COSTLY  CONTRIBUTION 


lOI 


A  COSTLY  CONTRIBUTION 

TWO  elderly  ladies  sat  by  the  fire  in  a 
comfortably  furnished  room,  the  walls  of 
which  were  adorned  with  steel  engravings  of 
scenes  in  the  lives  of  the  Wesleys,  Centenary 
gatherings,  and  a  large  photograph  of  the  first 
lay  representative  Conference.  The  one  seated 
in  the  low  modern  armchair  on  the  side  nearest 
the  window  was  small  and  thin,  with  white  hair 
and  fair  skin,  and  cheeks  like  old  china.  She 
had  a  meek,  Quaker-like  look  about  her,  and  her 
dress  was  of  plain  silver  grey. 

The  other  one  was  taller  than  her  sister  and 
dark,  and  had  a  masculine  mouth,  at  the  corners 
of  which  there  were  lines  which  had  been  left 
by  bygone  storms.      She  was  reading  the  newly 

arrived   Methodist  Recorder,  and   there   was   a 

103 


104  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

disappointed,  almost  peevish  look  on  her  face, 
and  presently  she  threw  the  paper  from  her  with 
an  impatient  jerk,  and  as  it  fluttered  to  the 
hearthrug  she  shaded  her  face  with  her  hand 
and  gazed  moodily  into  the  fire.  Her  soft-eyed 
little  sister  glanced  concernedly  at  her  once  or 
twice,  sighed  a  little,  and  then  asked  gently : 
"  Anybody  dead,  love  ?  " 

"  No  ;  nobody  we  know." 

Another  slight  pause,  and  then  in  a  caressing 
tone  :  "  Anybody  married  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Any  news  about  Hanster  ?  " 

«  No." 

The  little  Quakeress's  knitting  seemed  to 
trouble  her  just  then  and  her  thin,  almost 
transparent  hands  shook  a  little  as  she  fumbled 
for  the  dropped  stitch.  In  a  moment,  however, 
she  lifted  her  head  and  asked  coaxingly  :  "  Is 
there  nothing  interesting,  love  ?  " 

Miss  Hannah  dropped  the  hand  that  covered 
her  eyes,  glanced  petulantly  round  the  room  and 
then  answered  pensively  :  "  Susan,  there's  one 
thing  in  that  paper  and  one  only." 

The  head  of  the  meek  little  woman  opposite 


A  COSTLY  CONTRIBUTION  IO5 

to  her  was  bent  over  her  knitting,  the  pearly 
cheek  paled  a  little,  and  then  she  asked  :  "  And 
that,  love?" 

"  That  paper  has  got  nothing  in  it  but 
Twentieth  Century  ;  it  is  Twentieth  Century  first 
page  and  Twentieth  Century  last,  and  Twentieth 
Century  all  the  way  through.  Oh,  that  we 
should  have  lived  to  see  this  day  !  " 

"  Hannah  ! " 

"  I  mean  it,  Susan  ; "  and  the  excited  woman 
began  to  rock  herself  in  an  increasing  grief. 
"  There  was  a  Branscombe  who  entertained  Mr. 
Wesley,  there  have  been  Branscombes  in  every 
great  movement  our  Church  has  seen ;  our 
father  sat  in  the  first  Lay  Conference  and  we 
both  subscribed  to  the  Thanksgiving  Fund  our- 
selves. And  now  that  our  Church  is  doing  the 
noblest  thing  she  ever  did  we  shall  be  out  of  it. 
Oh,  that  we  had  gone  before  it  came  !  " 

"  No,  no,  love,  not  so  bad  as  that ;  we  can  give 
our  guinea  each,  and — and  one  in  memory  of 
our  dear  father,  ah — with  a  little  more  economy." 

"  Guineas  !  Branscombes  giving  single 
guineas !  Our  dear  father  down  on  that  great 
historic   roll   for   a   guinea !      Susan,   how   can 


I06  THE   MAKING  OF   THE   MILLION 

you  ?  what  will  the  village  think  ?  And  the 
Hanster  people,  and  father's  old  Conference 
friends  ?  They  might  suspect  something !  We 
cannot  think  of  it  for  a  moment" 

Miss  Hannah  had  risen  to  her  feet  during  her 
speech,  but  now,  with  a  fretful,  half-indignant 
gesture,  she  sank  back  into  her  chair  and  once 
more  covered  her  face  with  her  hands. 

Little  Miss  Susan  stole  anxious,  sympathetic 
glances  across  the  room  for  a  moment  or  two, 
and  then,  letting  her  knitting  slide  down  upon 
her  footstool,  she  stepped  softly  to  the  side  of 
her  sister's  chair,  and,  bending  over  and  press- 
ing her  delicate  cheek  against  Miss  Hannah's 
darker  one,  she  murmured  soothingly 

"And  if  some  things  I  do  not  ask, 

In  my  cup  of  blessing  be ; 
I  would  have  my  spirit  filled  the  more 

With  grateful  love  to  Thee, 
And  careful  less  to  serve  Thee  much 

Than  to  please  Thee  perfectly." 

As  these  lines  were  repeated  the  face  of  Miss 
Hannah  softened,  the  shadow  upon  it  gradually 
disappeared,  and  in  the  pause  that  followed  a 
gentle   light  came  into  her  black   eyes.      She 


A  COSTLY  CONTRIBUTION  IO7 

bent  forward  and  silently  kissed  the  dear  face 
that  was  still  bent  over  her,  and  then  said 
impulsively : 

"  Bless  you,  love !  What  have  I  done  to 
deserve  such  a  sweet  comforter  ?  But  I  should 
like  to  have  done  one  more  good  thing  for 
God  and  our  Church  before  I  go  to  heaven." 

"  Never  mind,  dearest !  When  we  get  to 
heaven  the  Master  will  perhaps  say  to  us  as  He 
said  to  David." 

"  What  was  that  ?  " 

"  Thou  didst  well  that  it  was  in  thine 
heart." 

Now,  the  father  of  these  two  ladies  had  been 
a  prosperous,  well-to-do  Methodist  layman  of 
Connexional  repute,  but  when  he  died  it  was 
discovered  that  all  his  means  were  in  his 
business,  and  that  he  had  really  saved  very 
little.  His  funeral  was  attended  by  great 
numbers  of  Methodist  magnates,  lay  and 
clerical,  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  the 
respect  shown  to  their  father's  memory  had 
been  a  sweet  consolation  to  the  bereaved 
sisters. 


I08  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

But  whilst  they  were  receiving  the  written 
and  spoken  sympathies  of  many  friends,  the 
family  lawyer  was  expressing  himself  to  himself 
in  language  that  was  to  say  the  least  very 
unparliamentary.  Branscombe's  business  was 
certainly  a  lucrative  one,  and  whilst  he  was 
there  to  attend  to  it  all  was  well ;  but  the 
man  who  spent  or  gave  away  all  his  income, 
when  he  had  two  daughters  unprovided  for  was, 
in  the  lawyer's  judgment,  more  fool  than  saint, 
and  he  ground  his  teeth  savagely  when  he 
discovered  that  he  would  have  to  explain  to 
the  sorrowing  women  that  they  would  have 
to  change  their  style  of  life. 

There  was  nothing  else  for  it,  however.  The 
business  would  have  to  be  carried  on,  for  it 
was  not  the  sort  of  thing  that  would  realise 
much  when  sold.  A  manager  would  therefore 
have  to  be  paid,  and  when  that  was  done 
there  would  not  be  very  much  left  for  the  two 
ladies  who  had  always  been  brought  up  in  such 
comfort. 

Lawyer  Bed  well  had  no  patience  with  men 
who  left  their  affairs  Hke  that,  and  in  spite 
of  himself,  some   of  his  feeling   on   the   point 


A  COSTLY  CONTRIBUTION  IO9 

slipped  out  upon  his  first  interview  with  his 
fair  clients. 

When  he  had  gone,  their  minds  were  occupied 
with  one  thought  only.  It  was  clear  that  Mr. 
Bedwell  thought  their  father  blameworthy  in 
the  matter,  and  if  he  did  others  would  be  of 
the  same  opinion.  But  they  knew  as  no  one 
else  did,  how  true  and  noble  a  parent  they 
had  lost,  and  at  all  costs  they  were  determined 
that  nothing  should  be  done  that  would  excite 
suspicion  in  the  minds  of  their  friends.  Appear- 
ances, therefore,  must  be  kept  up,  and  every- 
thing must  go  on  as  usual ;  all  their  father's 
ubscriptions  must  be  continued,  and  their  home 
must  still  be  the  chief  house  of  entertainment 
in  Hanster. 

But  as  time  went  on  these  things  became 
more  and  more  difficult.  Nearly  half  the  profits 
of  the  business  had  to  go  to  pay  a  manager ; 
but,  as  he  was  not  Mr.  Branscombe  and  the 
concern  had  depended  largely  upon  the  personal 
effort  and  influence  of  its  chief,  there  was  a 
serious  annual  shrinkage,  in  spite  of  all  that 
Lawyer  Bedwell  could  do  to  prevent  it.  Then 
the  manager  precipitated  a  crisis  by  absconding 


no  THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

with  some  hundreds  of  pounds,  and  the  legal 
adviser  to  the  firm  was  compelled  to  recommend 
that  the  business  be  sold  and  that  the  ladies 
should  reduce  their  establishment,  so  as  to  be 
able  to  live  upon  what  was  left. 

For  their  own  sakes  this  might  easily  have 
been  done,  but  for  their  father's  they  could  not 
think  of  it.  At  last,  however,  they  decided 
to  leave  the  little  town  where  they  had  been 
born,  and  where  all  their  interests  centred, 
and  go  into  some  quiet  village,  where  they 
might  live  cheaply,  and  do  in  a  smaller  way 
the  kind  of  work  their  father  had  done  in 
Hanster. 

And  so  they  came  to  Pumphrey,  where  they 
were  regarded  as  very  great  people  indeed, 
and  where  their  now  reduced  contributions  were 
received  as  most  munificent  donations.  But 
the  habits  of  a  lifetime  are  not  easily  unlearnt, 
and  so,  finding  that  the  memory  of  their  father 
was  still  fragrant  in  Pumphrey,  and  that  the 
simple  inhabitants  of  the  village  were  ready  to 
give  them  all  the  respect  and  deference  due  to 
their  antecedents,  they  were  soon  acting  in  the 
old   open-handed    way ;    and    whilst    the   little 


A  COSTLY  CONTRIBUTION  III 

circuit  in  which  the  village  was  situate  rejoiced 
in  and  boasted  of  their  generosity,  the  poor 
ladies  were  constantly  over-reaching  themselves 
and  lived  in  a  condition  of  chronic  impecunio- 
sity. 

Their  personal  expenses  were  pared  down 
until  they  could  be  reduced  no  further,  but 
the  large-hearted  liberality  to  which  they  had 
always  been  accustomed  and  which  regard  for 
their  father's  memory  seemed  to  demand,  was 
continued  as  far  as  possible.  Recently,  how- 
ever. Miss  Susan  had  had  a  severe  illness,  and 
this,  with  the  heavy  doctor's  bill  it  involved, 
had  reduced  them  still  further,  and  the 
announcement  of  the  Twentieth  Century  Fund 
found  them  in  the  worst  possible  condition  for 
doing  their  duty  to  it. 

The  long  pensive  silence  that  fell  upon  the 
sisters  after  Miss  Susan's  last  remark  was 
broken  presently  by  a  knock  at  the  door,  and 
Jane  their  faithful,  if  somewhat  unmanageable, 
domestic  brought  in  the  supper.  Placing  the 
little  tray  containing  hot  milk  and  thin  bread 
and  butter  on  the  table,  she  picked  up  the 
Methodist  Recorder  and  somewhat  ostentatiously 


112  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

proceeded  to  put  it  away  in  the  homemade 
rack  at  the  side  of  the  fireplace. 

"  You  can  take  the  paper  with  you,  Jane," 
said  Miss  Hannah. 

"  I  dooan't  want  it,  mum,"  answered  Jane 
gruffly,  and  in  broadest  Yorkshire. 

"  You  don't  want  it,  Jane  !  Why,  it  is  full 
of  news  this  week,  all  about  the  Twentieth 
Century  Fund,  you  know." 

"  That's  just  it,  mum  !  that  theer  fund  I  caan't 
abeear !  It's  gotten  hup  out  o'  pride  an'  pomp 
an'  vanity,  that's  wot  it  is,  an  it'ull  niver  prosper, 
mark  my  wods ! " 

"Jane!" 

I  meean  it,  mum  !  Thank  goodness,  nooan 
a  my  muney  'uU  gooa  ta  sitchan  a  thing,  an'  bi 
wot  I  can  hear  ther's  nooan  o'  t'  villigers  gooin' 
ta  give  nowt  neeither." 

"But,  Jane " 

But  before  Miss  Hannah  could  stop  her,  Jane 
had  burst  forth  again :  "  It's  nowt  bud  pride, 
an  wickidness,  mum,  it's  woss  nor  that  king 
as  showed  his  treasures  to  that  Babshakkle,  an' 
as  fur  that  theer  rowl,  it's  King  Daavid  numberin' 
Hisrael,  that's  wot  it  is." 


A   COSTLY   CONTRIBUTION  II3 

"  But,  Jane,  we  must  all " 

"Yes,  mum,  that's  wot  you  alias  says,  beggin' 
your  pardon,  bud  it's  my  belief  you  ladies  'ud 
subscribe  ta  buyin'  t'  moon  if  t'  Conference 
wanted  it ;  bud  I'm  different,  an'  if  I  hed  my 
waay  not  a  penny  'ud  goa  oot  o'  this  house 
ta  that  Million  Fund." 

As  the  privileged  and  outspoken  Jane  closed 
the  door  behind  her,  the  two  ladies  looked  at 
each  other  with  astonishment,  for  Jane  was  as 
stout  a  supporter  of  all  things  Methodistic  as 
they  were,  and  they  had  difficulty  sometimes 
in  restraining  her  liberality. 

To  Miss  Hannah,  however,  their  old  servant's 
words  were  more  disturbing  than  to  her  mild 
sister.  She  did  all  the  business  of  the  establish- 
ment and  had  charge  of  the  purse,  and  she 
had  privately  resolved  in  spite  of  her  querulous 
words  to  her  sister  that,  if  the  worst  came  to 
the  worst,  she  would  do  as  she  had  been  driven 
to  do  once  or  twice  before  and  get  a  temporary 
loan  from  Jane ;  but,  if  Jane  disapproved  of 
the  fund,  there  might  be  difficulty,  for  nothing 
was  concealed  from  her,  and,  in  fact,  she  had 
more   to  do   with    the    financial    arrangements 

8 


114  THE   MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

of  the   little   family,  than    even    Miss   Hannah 
herself 

Meanwhile  Jane,  who  was  short  and  plump 
with  bright  black  eyes  and  black  hair,  had 
made  her  way  back  into  the  kitchen,  where  sat 
a  ruddy-looking  man  of  about  thirty,  dressed 
like  a  gardener,  and  whose  face  wore  an  injured, 
protesting  expression  whilst  he  leaned  forward 
propping  his  elbows  on  his  knees  and  nervously 
twirling  his  cap  round  with  his  hands.  He 
glanced  sulkily  up  from  under  his  brows  as 
Jane  entered  the  kitchen,  andffurtively  watched 
her  as  she  picked  up  a  wash-leather  and  re- 
sumed her  work  at  the  plate  basket. 

The  gardener  gave  his  cap  a  fierce  extra 
twirl  and  then  grumbled :  "  Ther  niver  wur 
nooabody  humbugged  like  me  ;  this  is  t'  fowert 
(fourth)  time  I've  been  putten  off." 

Jane  gave  an  ominous  sniff;  her  plump  face 
hardened  a  little,  but  she  never  spoke. 

"It's  t'  Million  Fund  an'  t'  Mississes  an' 
onnybody  afoor  me." 

The  spoon  Jane  was  rubbing  was  flung  into 
the  basket  with  a  peevish  rattle,  and  rising 
to  her  feet  and  stepping  to  the  rug  before  the 


A  COSTLY  CONTRIBUTION  II5 

fire  she  said  indignantly :  "  John  Craake,  hev 
sum  sense,  wilta  ?  Here  I've  been  telling  lies 
like  a  good  'un  i'  t'  parlour  till  I  can  hardly 
bide  mysen,  an'  noo  I  mun  cum  back  ta  be 
aggravaated  bi  thee.  Them  owd  haangils  i' 
t'  parlour  'ud  sell  t'  frocks  ofifen  ther  backs  ta 
subscribe  ta  this  fund,  an'  thou  sits  theer  talkin' 
about  weddins  an  sitch  like  floppery.  I  wunder 
thou  isn't  ashaamed  o'  thisen." 

John  sat  ruminating  dolefully  for  a  moment 
or  two,  and  then  he  wiped  his  nose  with  the 
back  of  his  hand  and  said  with  sulky  resigna- 
tion :  "  Well,  what  mun  I  dew  then  ?  " 

"  Dew  ?  thou  mun  cum  i'  t'  morning  an'  saay 
thi  saay  to  'em,  an'  if  that  weean't  dew,  thou  mun 
waait,  that's  what  thou  mun  dew." 

Now  John  had  been  courting  Jane  in  a 
dogged  sort  of  way  almost  ever  since  the 
Branscombes  came  to  Pumphrey,  but  until 
recently  he  had  made  little  apparent  progress. 
Some  few  months  before  the  time  of  which  we 
write,  however,  a  terrible  burglary  with  murder- 
ous incidents  had  taken  place  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  as  the  news  greatly  upset  the  old 
ladies  and  made  them  declare  that  they  would 


Il6  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

never  be  able  to  stay  in  the  house  unless  they 
could  have  a  man  about  the  place,  Jane  had 
made  a  virtue  of  necessity  and  accepted  her 
lover,  on  the  understanding  that  he  was  to 
come  and  live  in  the  house,  and  never  suggest 
any  other  arrangement  so  long  as  the  old 
ladies  lived. 

John  had  eagerly  agreed  ;  but,  though  the 
wedding  had  been  fixed  now  three  times,  it 
had  so  far  been  put  off  again  and  again,  be- 
cause, as  John  eventually  discovered,  the  money 
which  Jane  with  a  Yorkshire  woman's  thrifty 
ideas  felt  was  absolutely  necessary  for  a  decent 
woman's  wedding,  had  been  sacrificed  to  the 
needs  of  her  mistresses. 

And  now  it  had  seemed  that  the  happy  event 
was  really  to  come  off,  and  just  at  the  last 
minute,  so  to  speak,  this  Million  Scheme  had 
turned  up,  and  Jane  insisted  that  before  her 
spare  cash  was  spent  on  such  a  friv£)lous  thing 
as  getting  married  she  must  be  sure  that  it  was 
not  wanted  to  enable  her  mistresses  to  subscribe 
to  the  fund  as  became  the  daughters  of  Thomas 
Branscombe.  For  Jane,  be  it  said,  was  as 
jealous   for   the   honour  of  her  old  master  as 


A  COSTLY   CONTRIBUTION  II7 

his  daughters.  She  was,  moreover,  a  Methodist 
of  the  Methodists,  and  had  upon  the  first 
announcement  of  the  fund  decided  that  it  was 
her  duty  to  give  at  least  five  pounds  to  so 
glorious  an  object. 

This  idea,  however,  she  now  abandoned,  and 
whilst  she  consented  to  try  and  persuade  her 
mistresses  not  to  think  of  subscribing  and  had 
agreed  that  John  should  use  his  powers  of  per- 
suasion in  the  same  direction,  she  knew  but  too 
well  that  the  dear  old  souls  she  worshipped 
would  insist  upon  taking  their  part  in  the  great 
movement,  and  therefore  the  money  she  intended 
to  have  given  for  herself  and  the  money  needed 
for  the  approaching  wedding  would  all  be 
required  for  the  old  ladies'  subscription.  And, 
even  if  the  sisters  themselves  could  be  talked 
over,  she  still  felt  that  their  names  ought  to  be 
on  the  roll  and  that  it  was  her  duty  to  get  them 
on,  even  if  she  had  to  do  it  unknown  to  them, 
and  pay  the  subscriptions  herself. 

Next  morning,  therefore,  John  did  his  best 
to  convince  the  ladies  that  nobody  thereabouts 
cared  anything  for  the  fund,  and  that  it  would 
be  useless  to  hold  a  meeting  in  the  village  for 


Il8  THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

the  purpose.  Encouraged  by  Miss  Hannah's 
manner  as  he  respectfully  argued  with  her, 
he  even  suggested  that  she  should  write 
to  the  super  advising  him  not  to  think  of 
holding  a  meeting  in  Pumphrey.  Jane,  how- 
ever, when  he  told  her  what  he  had  said 
in  the  parlour,  was  worse  than  sceptical,  and 
insisted  on  him  as  a  leader  writing  to  the 
super  himself. 

A  post  or  two  later,  however,  a  reply  came 
to  say  that  the  meeting  was  fixed  for  the  follow- 
ing Thursday  night,  and  that  Pumphrey  surely 
would  not  be  behind  other  places.  John 
hastened  to  Pear  Tree  Cottage  to  tell  the  news 
as  soon  as  he  got  the  letter;  but  on  entering 
the  kitchen  he  was  interrupted  in  his  story  by 
the  alarming  information  that  Miss  Susan  had 
been  taken  ill  in  the  night,  and  he  must  hasten 
away  for  the  doctor. 

The  Thursday  night  came,  and  the  super, 
alarmed  and  disappointed  at  not  seeing  "  The 
Ladies  "  at  the  meeting,  discovered  on  enquiry 
that  Miss  Susan  was  confined  to  her  room,  and 
that  the  doctor's  report  was  not  encouraging 
The  good  man  therefore  came  round  on  his  way 


A  COSTLY  CONTRIBUTION  II9 

home,  and  Miss  Hannah  came  down  from  the 
sick-room  to  speak  to  him. 

Her  report  of  the  condition  of  the  patient 
was  so  discouraging,  and  she  herself  looked  so 
sad,  that  the  good  pastor  forgot  all  about  the 
meeting  and  was  just  saying  good-night  when 
Miss  Hannah  said :  "  I  was  sorry  we  missed  the 
meeting  but"  (with  hesitation  and  embarrass- 
ment) "  of  course  we  shall  send  our  subscription." 

"  Send  it  ?  But  you  did  send  it,  Miss  Brans- 
combe." 

"  No !  but  we  will  do  ;  it  will  be  all  right, 
Mr.  Makinson." 

"  But  you  did  send  it,  excuse  me,  and  a  very 
nice  one  it  is.  See,  here  it  is,"  and  the  minister 
pulled  out  a  small  roll  of  papers  and  spread 
the  top  one  out  upon  the  table. 

Miss  Hannah  with  a  puzzled  look  bent  over 
the  good  man's  shoulder  and  read,  whilst  tears 
came  into  her  sad  eyes  as  she  recognised  the 
clumsy  writiiig : — 

£  s.   d. 

Thomas  Branscombe,  Esq.  (in  Memoriam)  550 

Miss  Susannah  Wesley  Branscombe    .  ■      •  5     5     o 

Miss  Hannah  More  Branscombe .        ,        •  5     5     o 

Jane  Twizel i     i     o 


120  THE  MAKING  OF  THE   MILLION 

Miss  Hannah  turned  away  with  a  choking 
sob,  and  the  super,  embarrassed  and  perplexed, 
took  a  hasty  departure. 

In  the  small  hours  of  the  next  morning,  as 
Miss  Hannah  sat  musing  by  the  sick-room  fire, 
a  gentle  voice  called  her  to  the  bedside. 

"  What  is  it,  love  ?  "  she  asked  anxiously. 

"  Oh,  Hannah,  love,  isn't  God  good  ?  I  said 
He  would  find  a  way  and  He  has  done — better 
than  we  can  ask  or  think." 

"  Yes,  love !  of  course,  love  ;  but  what  do 
you  mean  ?  " 

"  The  fund,  you  know,  the  great  fund  ;  we 
shall  do  it,  you  see,  after  all.  Oh,  isn^t  He 
good  ?  " 

"  Yes,  love,  of  course." 

But  Miss  Hannah's  voice  showed  that  she 
did  not  quite  understand,  and  so  with  a  bright 
smile  the  gentle  sufferer  explained  faintly : 
"  The  insurance,  you  know ;  it  is  for  whichever 
of  us  dies  first." 

"  Dies  ?  "  cried  Miss  Hannah,  in  sudden  dis- 
tress ;  "  you  are  not  dying,  love.  Oh,  no  1  You 
mustn't  leave  me  alone." 

But  the  sufferer  evidently  did  not  hear. 


A  COSTLY  CONTRIBUTION  121 

Presently  she  murmured  almost  inaudibly : 
'  There  will  be  plenty  of  money  for  you  now, 
love,  and  the  Branscombes  will  have  an  honour- 
able place  on  the  roll,  and  whilst  the  money 
will  be  making  the  world  sweeter  and  better 
we  shall  be  at  rest." 

Two  days  later  the  gentle  soul  slipped  away 
and  was  laid  by  her  father's  side  in  the  Hanster 
chapel-yard,  and  shortly  after  the  Million 
Scheme  was  enriched  by  a  contribution  of 
a  hundred  pounds,  "  In  loving  memory  of  a 
noble  father  and  a  sainted  sister  in  heaven." 

Poor  John  Crake  is  still  waiting,  though 
somewhat  more  hopefully,  to  be  allowed  to 
act  as  a  protection  against  burglars  at  Pear 
Tree  Cottage. 


THE  ALDERMAN'S  CONVERSION 


tas 


VI 

THE   ALDERMAN'S   CONVERSION 

SORRY,  Mr.  Super,  but  I  cannot  take 
the  chair,  and  as  for  my  name  heading 
the  circuit  list,  I  don't  intend  it  to  be  there 
at  all." 

"  Mr.  Alderman,  I'm  astonished  !  You  of  all 
men  !  Why,  everybody  is  looking  to  you  to 
lead  the  way." 

"Can't  help  it,  sir;  the  fact  is,  I  don't 
approve  of  the  scheme  at  all." 

The  super  was  amazed,  and  most  undis- 
guisedly  disappointed. 

"  What !  What  is  your  objection  to  it, 
sir?" 

And  the  alderman  leaned  back  a  little  farther 
into  his  Russian  leather  armchair,  puffed  out 
a  volume  of  smoke   from   his  cigar,   twitched 

125 


1 


126  THE   MAKING  OF   THE   MILLION 

up  the  tightened  knee  of  his  trousers,  and 
then  drawled  with  an  assumption  of  coohiess 
he  did  not  quite  feel : 

"  It  appears  to  me,  sir,  that  this  whole  move- 
ment is  an  attempt  to  endow  our  departments, 
and  as  a — a — conscientious  Radical  I  object 
to  all  endowments." 

The  good  super  proceeded  to  explain,  and 
from  explanation  he  passed  on  to  argument 
and  from  argument  to  pleading  ;  but  the 
alderman  held  his  ground,  and  the  minister 
went  away  with  astonishment  and  dismay  in 
his  heart. 

Leit  alone  in  his  office,  Joseph  Carfax  put  his 
legs  upon  a  chair  and  gave  himself  up  to  medita- 
tion, in  which  the  minister  and  the  Twentieth 
Century  Fund  were  soon  forgotten.  The  alder- 
man was  a  successful  man  of  business,  who  had 
risen  from  the  ranks,  and  whilst  yet  in  the 
prime  of  life  had  reached  a  comfortable  com- 
petence. He  was  also  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent public  men  in  the  ancient  borough  of 
Knibworth,  and  it  was  confidently  stated  that 
he  might  have  the  mayoralty  any  time  he 
liked.     Hitherto,  however,  he  had  declined  the 


THE  ALDERMAN'S  CONVERSION  127 

honour,  chiefly  because  he  was  anxious  when 
he  did  occupy  the  civic  chair  to  excel  his 
predecessors  as  much  in  munificence  as  he  was 
able  to  do  in  eloquence.  He  had  a  large  and 
expensive  family  and  many  calls  upon  his 
liberality,  but  he  was  now  beginning  to  feel 
that  if  not  next  year,  certainly  the  year  after, 
he  would  be  able  to  do  himself  the  honour  of 
accepting  the  dignity  which  had  already  more 
than  once  been  offered  him. 

As  will  have  been  seen  already,  Carfax  was  a 
Wesleyan  and  had  been  for  years  a  most  accept- 
able local  preacher.  In  his  earlier  life,  when  he 
was  an  obscure  man,  he  had  been  very  popular 
and  very  much  in  demand  ;  but  of  late  his 
appointments  had  been  reduced  to  an  occasional 
half-day  at  the  circuit  chapel,  and  he  scarcely 
ever  went  into  the  villages  to  preach  except  on 
anniversary  days,  when  his  liberal  contributions 
to  the  collection  were  more  eagerly  looked  for 
than  his  services  in  the  pulpit.  He  was  trustee 
of  several  chapels  and  had  held  every  office  his 
Church  could  offer  to  laymen,  not  excepting 
that  of  Conference  representative.  For  some 
years  now  he  had  been  the  chief  layman  of  the 


128  THE   MAKING  OF   THE   MILLION 

Knibworth  circuit,  and  was  known  throughout 
the  district  as  a  generous,  broad-minded  sym- 
pathiser with  every  good  movement. 

Of  late,  however,  he  had  been  conscious 
that  the  ardour  of  his  early  days  had  left 
him,  and  that  he  was  not  by  any  means  as 
enthusiastic  a  Methodist  as  he  used  to  be.  As 
he  mixed  more  with  men  of  all  kinds  his  ideas 
had  got  broadened  he  told  himself,  and  he  was 
compelled  to  admit  that  the  nonsuch  Methodism 
of  his  earlier  life  did  not  quite  satisfy  his  maturer 
tastes.  The  ministers  they  had  now  were  not 
quite  the  same  sort  of  men  as  those  with  whom 
he  had  been  so  very  friendly  in  those  days  gone 
by,  and  the  laymen  with  whom  he  associated  at 
the  chapel  were  not  exactly  his  style.  His 
family  was  growing  up,  too,  and  he  began  to 
discover  how  very  little  society  there  was  for  his 
sons  and  daughters  in  the  Knibworth  Methodist 
circles. 

His  wife  had  complained  more  than  once 
recently  that  there  were  scarcely  any  young 
people  in  the  chapel  with  whom  their  children 
could  associate,  and  none  with  whom  she  would 
like  them  to  marry.     And  he  felt  that  his  wife 


THE  alderman's  CONVERSION  1 29 

was  right,  although  he  had  pooh-poohed  her 
remark  at  the  time  ;  really  when  he  came  to 
think  of  it,  a  man  in  his  position  had  to  make 
many  social  sacrifices,  if  he  continued  faithful  to 
the  Church  of  his  choice.  He  governed  his 
family  upon  what  he  called  "  modern  principles," 
and  allowed  his  children  great  liberality,  both  of 
speech  and  action.  His  growing  discontent  with 
his  Church  had  found  expression  of  late  in  severe 
criticisms  of  sermons  and  half-concealed  sneerS 
at  the  officials  of  the  Church ;  but  he  was 
surprised  and  for  the  moment  disturbed  when  he 
discovered  that  his  children  entertained  similar 
views,  and  assumed  a  tolerant,  contemptuous 
air  towards  all  things  Methodistic. 

Recently  also  two  of  the  young  people  had 
taken  to  going  to  church  occasionally,  making 
their  love  of  music  the  excuse ;  and  only  the 
other  day  his  boy  Fred  had  been  invited  to  join 
the  choir  of  St.  Margaret's. 

To  crown  all,  his  wife  had  hinted  to  him  a 
day  or  two  ago  that  there  was  something 
between  their  eldest  daughter  Emily  and  young 
Pearson,  the  son  of  one  of  his  brother  aldermen. 

Well,  after  all,  what  right  had  he  to  expect 

9 


130         THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

that  his  children  would  be  Methodists  because 
he  had  always  been  one  ?  Hadn't  they  as  much 
right  to  choose  for  themselves  as  he  had  ?  It 
would  be  a  grand  thing  for  Emily,  if  she  did 
marry  young  Pearson,  and  it  would  be  a  shame 
for  him  to  put  anything  in  her  way.  Perhaps 
if  he  became  mayor  it  would  help  the  matter, 
for  the  Pearsons  were  a  proud  lot.  Yes,  that 
was  what  he  must  do,  he  must  take  the  chief 
magistracy  next  year,  and  if  he  did,  there  would 
be  no  money  to  spare  either  for  this  Million 
Scheme  or  any  other  merely  Methodist 
matter. 

Just  as  he  had  reached  this  conclusion  the 
office  door  opened,  and  in  sauntered  an  old 
man.  He  was  evidently  very  much  at  home  in 
the  place,  and  nodded  familiarly  to  the  alderman 
as  he  entered.  He  was  short  and  thin  and  very 
straight ;  he  wore  an  old-fashioned  semi-clerical 
suit  of  black,  tinged  here  and  there  with  brown 
spots,  the  result  of  snuff-taking. 

"  Hello,  dad  !  pay  day  again  ? "  And  the 
alderman  rose  hastily  from  his  reclining 
position  and,  drawing  up  to  his  desk,  began  to 
take  out  his  cheque-book. 


THE  alderman's  CONVERSION  I3I 

The  visitor  was  Carfax's  father,  an  old  local 
preacher  who  lived  by  himself  and  was  main- 
tained in  very  generous  fashion  by  his  only 
son. 

"  Yes,  my  lad,  the  old  amount,"  he  said  play- 
fully, as  he  came  towards  the  desk ;  "  but  I 
want  something  else  to-day." 

"  Hello  !  what's  up  now  ?  "  cried  the  alderman, 
turning  round  and  smiling.  "  Not  going  to  get 
married  again,  father  ?  " 

The  old  man  grinned,  for  this  was  an  old 
joke.  "  No,  my  lad,  it's  that  Twentieth 
Century  Fund,  you  know." 

Carfax  laid  down  his  pen,  and  turning 
quickly  round,  cried  :  "  But,  father,  you  are 
not  going  in  for  that,  surely." 

"  Am  I  not  ?  but  I  am  !     And  why  not  ?  " 

"  I  don't  believe  in  it,  father.  You  can  do 
what  you  like  and  have  as  much  as  you  like, 
but  I've  made  up  my  mind  that  I  shall  not 
give  a  penny  to  it." 

The  old  man's  jaw  dropped  in  dismay.  He 
looked  amazedly  at  his  son  for  a  moment,  took 
a  great  pinch  of  snuff  without  ever  removing  his 
eyes  from  the  alderman,  and  then  gasped  out : 


132  THE   MAKING  OF   THE   MILLION 

"  Thou's  wandering,  my  lad." 

It  was  a  sure  sign  that  he  was  excited  when 
old  John  Carfax  "  thoued  "  his  son. 

"Wandering  or  not,  I  mean  it.  I'll  supply 
you  with  as  much  as  you  like,  with  pleasure  ; 
but  not  a  penny  will  I  give  myself." 

"  But,  my  lad,  my  lad  !  it's  for  Methodism, 
our  blessed  Methodism  !  " 

«  Methodism  !  What's  Methodism  ?  It's  no 
better  than  any  other  Church  that  I  know  of." 

"Joseph!"  and  in  his  extreme  distress  the 
old  man  dropped  his  snuff-box,  and  coming  up 
to  the  desk  and  taking  his  son  by  the  arm  he 
went  on,  "  Joseph,  my  lad  !  my  lad !  why, 
Methodism  has  been  ivverything  to  uz." 

"  Don't  see  it,  father  ;  I  don't  see  it  at  all." 

The  old  man's  arm  was  still  upon  his  son's 
shoulder,  and,  as  he  stood  gazing  up  into  the 
hard  but  handsome  face  of  his  only  living 
relative,  he  asked  with  eager,  tremulous  distress  : 
"Joseph,  hev'n't  I  heard  thee  say  at  anniver- 
saries 'at  thou  hed  the  best  mother  i'  England  ?  " 

"  Yes,  an'  I  had,  too  ;  but  what  of  that  ?  " 

"That  mother  was  saved  from  a  bad  family 
and   a  bad  life  by  Methodism  ;   and  thy  owd 


THE  alderman's  CONVERSION  1 33 

father  was  turned  from  a  gamblin'  skittle-player 
to  a  local  preacher  by  Methodism  ;  an'  all  'at's 
good  in  thee  thou  got  fro'  Methodism.  Oh, 
Joseph  !  how  can  thou  talk  like  that  ?  " 

Carfax  was  moved  somewhat,  and  so,  pro- 
mising to  think  of  it,  he  put  the  old  man  off, 
and  as  soon  as  he  had  gone  tried  to  forget  the 
words  he  had  heard  in  the  public  duties  in 
which  he  was  so  much  interested.  But  again  and 
again  at  the  Watch  Committee  that  night  the 
old  man's  look  came  back  into  his  mind,  and 
even  when  he  got  to  the  club  he  could  not 
shake  off  the  impression  that  had  been  made 
on  him,  and  so  he  went  home  earlier  than  usual. 
He  had  just  finished  supper  and  was  immersed 
in  some  corporation  returns  when  the  dining- 
room  door  opened,  and  in  burst  Dick,  his  third 
and  most  excitable  son. 

"  Oh,  dad  !  I've  been  to  such  a  jolly  meeting  ! 
Went  over  to  call  on  the  Brigdens  on  my  bike. 
They  were  just  going  out  to  a  meeting,  so  I 
went  with  them  and  heard  Perks.  My  stars, 
didn't  he  make  a  rippin'  speech ! " 

Carfax  glanced  round  indolently  and  asked : 
"  Missionary  meeting,  was  it  ?  " 


134         THE  MAKING  OF  THE   MILLION 

"  Missionary  !  No  !  it  was  about  this  Million 
Scheme.  Hay,  I  did  feel  proud  that  our  Church 
was  such  a  grand  one."  And  then  he  broke 
off :  "I  say,  dad,  why  don't  we  take  in  the 
Methodist  papers  ?  The  Brigdens  knew  all 
about  it,  and  there  was  I  as  ignorant  as  a 
noodle." 

Carfax  felt  a  reproachful  little  pang,  and 
was  just  turning  again  to  his  returns  when  his 
impetuous  son  broke  out  once  more : 

"  Oh,  it  was  a  speech  !  Why,  dad,  I  never 
knew  that  ours  was  such  a  grand  Church.  Oh, 
wasn't  I  proud  I  was  a  Methodist,  I  can  tell 
you!" 

Carfax  winced  and  was  just  about  to  speak 
when  a  little  flaxen-haired  maiden,  the  saint  of 
the  family  as  her  eldest  brother  called  her,  got 
up  from  the  sofa  where  she  had  been  reclining, 
and  stealing  to  her  brother's  side,  put  her  white 
arms  upon  his  shoulder  and  said  softly :  "  I 
hope  you  will  be  a  real  Methodist  some  day, 
dear." 

Later  the  same  evening  the  alderman  had 
a  somewhat  serious  conversation  with  his  wife. 
He  was  going  to  tell  her  what  he  had  decided 


THE  alderman's   CONVERSION  135 

to  do  with  regard  to  the  Million  Scheme  and 
what  he  had  said  to  the  super  whom  Mrs. 
Carfax  did  not  particularly  like  ;  but  before  he 
could  commence  she  began  to  confide  to  him 
her  apprehensions  as  to  their  eldest  son,  who 
was  in  business  in  London  ;  and  the  details  she 
supplied,  and  the  dark  pictures  which,  with 
motherly  anxiety,  she  painted,  made  Carfax 
very  uncomfortable. 

When  she  had  gone  to  bed  he  fell  into 
troubled  musings.  He  could  not  forget  what 
his  father  had  said  to  him  that  day,  and  the 
lisht  words  of  the  excitable  Dick  somehow 
stuck  to  him  ;  but  this  news  about  Edmund 
in  London  was  worst  of  all,  and  sank  deepest. 
True,  most  of  what  the  mother  had  said  had 
been  mere  surmisings  ;  but  he  felt  how  easily 
they  and  much  more  might  be  true,  and  before 
he  was  aware  of  it  the  alderman,  who  had  of 
late  dropped  into  the  habit  of  mentally  mini- 
mising the  favourite  Methodist  doctrine  of 
conversion,  found  himself  wishing,  with  a  de^p 
sigh,  that  his  eldest  boy  had  been  converted 
before  he  went  to  London.  He  would  give  a 
thousand  pounds  at  that  very  moment  to  know 


136         THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

that  his  boy  was  a  genuine  Christian  ;  but  there 
seemed  no  hope  of  that,  and  his  other  children 
seemed  likely  to  become  nominal  Christians  at 
most,  and  to  drift  into  other  Churches.  And 
for  the  next  half-hour — the  deeper  manhood  of 
Joseph  having  fairly  awakened — gave  him  a 
torturing  experience. 

But  next  morning  he  felt  inclined  to  laugh 
at  his  fears  of  the  night  before,  and  was  no  more 
inclined  than  ever  to  depart  from  the  path  upon 
which  he  had  entered. 

But  circumstances  were  against  the  alderman, 
for  when  he  got  home  to  dinner  he  found  that 
two  of  his  children,  Dick  the  irrepressible,  and 
Kathy  the  saint,  had  been  down  to  grandfather's 
and  borrowed  the  Recorder  and  had  also  called 
at  the  railway  bookstall  and  got  the  Methodist 
Times,  and  were  now  fuller  than  ever  of  the 
wonderful  fund. 

When  grandfather  came  in  a  little  while  after- 
wards they  of  course  received  powerful  rein- 
forcement, and  though  the  two  eldest  children 
who  were  at  home  treated  the  matter  rather 
contemptuously,  they  could  not  altogether  resist 
the  influences  of  the  moment,  and  were  soon 


THE  alderman's  CONVERSION  1 37 

almost  as  much  interested  as  the  younger 
ones. 

On  the  following  Sunday  it  was  announced 
that  the  Million  Scheme  meeting  for  Knibworth 
would  be  held  on  the  Thursday  week  following  ; 
but  no  chairman's  name  was  mentioned.  Liter- 
ature of  various  kinds  was  also  found  in  the 
pews  and  carried  home,  and  Carfax  during  the 
afternoon  noticed  some  very  mysterious  calcula- 
tions going  on  with  lead  pencils,  and  his  wife 
told  him  as  he  went  to  bed  that,  good  Sunday 
though  it  was,  Dick  and  Kathy  had  been 
reckoning  up  what  sundry  inmates  of  the 
house  owed  them. 

Carfax  began  to  feel  really  ashamed  of 
himself,  and  told  himself  reluctantly  that  the 
enthusiasm  of  his  children,  the  younger  end 
of  them  at  any  rate,  was  a  direct  reproach  to 
him ;  at  the  same  time  he  was  conscious  of 
a  curious  feeling  of  relief  and  thankfulness  in 
the  thought,  that  some  at  least  of  his  family 
would  by  this  fund  become  more  firmly  attached 
to  their  father's  Church. 

During  the  week  the  super  called  again,  and 
tried  to  induce  his  most  influential  layman  to 


138  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

take  the  chair  at  the  circuit  meeting.  But 
Carfax  still  held  out,  though  more  from  a  foolish 
scruple  about  consistency  than  anything  else  ; 
and  the  minister  went  away  resolved  to  try 
once  more  before  the  eventful  day  came. 

Of  late  Carfax  had  fallen  into  the  habit  of 
once-a-day  worship,  and  so  he  stayed  at  home 
on  the  following  Sunday  evening.  And  there, 
by  his  own  fireside,  he  got  thinking  once  more 
of  his  cherished  plans,  and  was  surprised  to 
find  that  they  did  not  seem  so  beautiful  as  they 
had  done  before.  And  then  he  was  drawn  to 
think  again  of  his  whole  life,  and  especially  of 
his  recent  attitude  towards  the  Church  in  which, 
as  he  could  not  but  acknowledge,  he  had  got 
all  his  good.  Then  he  wandered  off  into  remem- 
brances of  the  happy  days  when  he  was  young 
and  struggling,  and  of  the  blessed  weariness  he 
used  to  feel  after  a  hard  day's  preaching  in  the 
country.  After  all,  those  were  happy  days,  and 
he  was  not  so  sure  that  he  was  not  a  better  man 
then  than  now,  in  spite  of  his  J.  P.  and  municipal 
and  other  honours. 

Then  his  father's  words  in  the  office  came 
back  to  him,  and  he   was  just  choking  back  a 


THE  alderman's  CONVERSION  1 39 

lump  in  his  throat  when  the  dining-room  door 
burst  open  and  a  fairy  form  flung  itself  upon 
him,  a  hot  cheek  was  pressed  against  his,  and  a 
bright  eager  voice  cried  :  "  Oh,  father,  father ! 
what  do  you  think  ?  Oh,  I  am  so  happy ! 
so  very  very  happy  !  " 

"  Whatever's  the  matter,  child  ?  " 

"  Oh,  father !  dear  father,  Dick's  just  told  me 
such  a  secret !  such  a  beautiful  secret." 

"  And  you  are  letting  it  all  out !  What  is 
it,  you  whirlwind  ?  " 

"  Oh,  father,  Dick's  just  told  me  he  is  going 
to  join  Mr.  Jimpson's  class.  Isn't  it  grand, 
father,  glorious  ?  " 

Carfax  felt  he  was  giving  way.  The  slumber- 
ing Methodism  in  him  was  all  at  once  awaking 
and  swallowing  up  the  alderman,  and  almost 
to  his  own  surprise  he  muttered  fervently : 
"Thank  God." 

It  was  many  a  long  day  since  Carfax  had  had 
a  religious  conversation  with  one  of  his  children, 
but  that  night  he  took  young  Dick  into  the 
study  and  asked  him  what  Kathy's  strange  story 
meant. 

Dick  was  frankness  itself,  and  the  alderman's 


140         THE  MAKING  OF  THE  MILLION 

heart  grew  warm  and  his  eyes  moist  as  he 
listened  to  his  own  boy  telling  the  old  story 
that  he  once  used  to  hear  so  often. 

"Well,  my  dear  lad,  it's  the  best  news  I've 
heard  for  many  a  day.  God  bless  you,  and 
make  you  a  true  Christian  and  a  true  and 
faithful  Methodist.  Ah — there's  one  thing  I 
should  like  you  to  do,  however." 

"What's  that,  father?" 

"  I  should  like  you  to  write  to  Edmund  before 
you  go  to  bed,  and  tell  him  what  has  taken  place." 

On  the  Wednesday  following,  when  the  family 
came  down  to  breakfast,  there  was  a  letter  lying 
on  Master  Dick's  plate,  and  the  alderman  who 
saw  it  first  felt  somehow  as  if  he  would  like 
to  open  it. 

Kathy  also  looked  at  it  with  longing  eyes,  for 
the  absent  brother  was  her  special  favourite. 

Presently  Dick  came  down  and  opened  his 
letter.  He  had  dressed  hastily  and  was  not 
too  much  awake  even  now  ;  but  as  he  read  the 
note  his  eyes  opened  and  a  bright  light  came 
into  them,  and  suddenly  he  flung  the  letter  into 
the  air,  and  cried  :  "  Hurrah !  I  mean,  Praise 
the  Lord." 


THE   alderman's   CONVERSION  I4I 

"What!  What  is  it?"  cried  two  or  three 
at  once. 

In  a  moment  little  Kathy  had  slipped  from  her 
place  at  the  table  and  picked  up  the  letter, 
which  had  fluttered  down  upon  the  hearthrug. 
"  Listen  !  Hsten !  "  she  cried,  with  shining  eyes 
and  radiant  face,  and  whilst  the  rest  looked  at 
her  eagerly  she  read  : 

"  Dear  Dick, — Thank  God  for  the  news  you 
send  me ;  it  is  the  best  I  have  had  for  many  a 
long  day.  May  the  Lord  keep  you  faithful ! 
You  may  be  surprised  that  I  write  like  this,  but 
as  you  have  told  me  your  happiness  I  will  tell 
you  mine.  I  have  not  been  very  good,  I  am 
sorry  to  say,  since  I  came  to  London  ;  but 
a  fortnight  ago  a  friend  asked  me  to  go  to  St. 
James's  Hall.  I  went,  and  what  I  heard  there 
changed  my  life  ;  and  that  very  night  I  gave  my 
heart  to  God.  Please  tell  them  all,  but  especially 
dear  little  Kathy.     With  much  love, 

"  Your  affectionate  Brother, 

"  Edmund." 

"  And  the  ;^2 50,000  for  Hugh  Price  Hughes' 
work    was     my    special     aversion,"    said     the 


142  THE   MAKING   OF   THE   MILLION 

alderman  to  himself,  as  he  went  down  to  his 
office  ;  and  when  the  super  called  an  hour  later 
he  found  his  hitherto  obdurate  layman  in  a  very- 
kindly  frame  of  mind.  The  next  evening  the 
chair  was  taken  by  Joseph  Carfax  after  all,  and 
the  fame  of  the  Knibworth  contribution  has  gone 
forth  into  the  whole  Church. 


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